The Income Vanishes

You’ve built a strong practice, put in decades of service, and finally sold the business—maybe to a DSO, maybe to private equity. But then comes the shocker: you no longer have income.

The very labor-based income that supported your family, your lifestyle, your dreams? It vanishes. And with it, your sense of control.

The Real Cost of Selling

I’ve seen it again and again. Sellers believe the equity from their practice sale will fund their retirement or freedom years. But they’re rarely prepared for the truth:

• – Taxes eat into your gains
• – Sales commissions take another chunk
• – Outstanding debts further erode what’s left

The net amount—the true liquid equity—is often a fraction of what was expected. And suddenly, you're left with a question no one wants to face at age 60 or 65:

“How do I replace my income… now that it’s gone?”

Waiting Is the Mistake

Here’s what breaks my heart the most: Too many practice owners wait until after they’ve sold to start thinking about income replacement.

By then, health may be deteriorating. Time with family? Missed. Memories? Unmade.

They assumed selling would mean freedom, but it often brings confusion, regret, and stress.

The reason? They never built a plan to replace themselves, or their income, BEFORE the exit.

Income Replacement: The True Game

If there’s one concept I wish every practice owner understood early on, it’s this:

The real game is income production, not just net worth accumulation.

Owning a business gives you distributions, owner perks, and active income. When you sell—even if you stay on as an associate—you’ve likely just slashed your income by 60–70%. 

That backend earnout? Often more myth than reality.

So why do so many skip the most important step: learning how to produce passive, reliable, non-labor income?

It’s because no one teaches us how. Financial advisors? Often trained for accumulation (rationing your savings), not active business ownership or income replacement.

Traditional planning? Centered around “retirement age” instead of designing freedom early.

The Blueprint Few Ever See

What would it look like if you had clarity, not just about your practice, but about your future?

Imagine a model where:

• – You gradually replace yourself in your practice.
• – You build outside investments that produce reliable income.
• – You know your number—how much is enough to live on your terms.

I've seen it change lives. I’ve worked with hundreds of practice-owning couples who discovered that they didn’t need to wait until 65 to enjoy life. They just needed a better roadmap.

The results? More margin, more time off, fewer insurance headaches, less stress. Freedom.

My Wake-Up Call

Let me get personal for a moment.

Years ago, I was on that same treadmill. Grinding, grinding, grinding. Missing moments with my daughter, rationalizing that it was all “for the future.”

Then she got diagnosed with leukemia when she was 4. Years later, at age 12, her liver failed from all the chemo treatments. In that gut-wrenching moment, my priorities snapped into place.

I realized: What’s the point of financial security if it costs you everything that matters?

From that day forward, I committed to living differently and helping others do the same.

Design Freedom Early

Don’t let “retirement” be your only goalpost. Design your life with intentionality. Ask better questions:

• – How much income do I really need?
• – What assets can reliably produce it?
• – What timeline lets me enjoy both family and financial freedom?

Stop chasing arbitrary net worth numbers. Wealth is meaningless if it doesn’t produce something for you.

The answer isn’t in more zeroes. It’s in clarity, confidence, and control—knowing where you are, where you want to go, and having a plan to get there.

Let’s Talk About Real Freedom

This is why at Freedom Founders, we start every member journey with a simple but radical shift:

We stop talking about ROI as the most important metric and start talking about lifestyle design, clarity, and income.

Because when your investments produce replacement income—before you’re forced to sell, before you’re burned out—that’s when you regain power over your time, your stress, and your future.

Don’t follow the herd. They’ll take you straight into the wall at 65 with no backup plan.

This is your wake-up call. Take it.