For many people, career reinvention isn't something that happens at the beginning of working life. It comes after years spent building expertise, climbing the corporate ladder and asking whether the next decade should look the same as the last.
Business ownership offers one possible answer. While launching a startup is often associated with entrepreneurship, buying an established business has become an increasingly attractive option for experienced professionals looking to build on the skills they've already developed. Instead of starting from zero, they inherit an existing customer base, established systems and a proven trading history.
This article tells the story of Richard Hand, a UK entrepreneur who left a successful career in financial services to launch and eventually sell his own business. Although Richard's experience took place in Britain, many of the challenges he encountered – balancing risk, financing growth and redefining success – are just as relevant for prospective business buyers in Canada.
We'll also draw on findings from BusinessesForSale.com's UK Ownership Economy Index 2026. The research reflects the views of UK adults rather than Canadians, but it provides an interesting perspective on how experienced workers are thinking about business ownership as traditional career paths become less predictable.
Building a Second Career Through Business Ownership
Richard Hand spent more than 20 years working in financial services and consulting, including senior positions with the UK's Big Four accounting firms. By most measures, he'd built an impressive career, but the reality behind it had become increasingly difficult to ignore.
Frequent travel, demanding hours and a long commute between Eastbourne and London gradually eroded the work-life balance he wanted. Eventually, he decided the answer wasn't another corporate role, but an entirely different way of working.
In 2016, Richard left consulting to launch Urban Jump, an indoor trampoline park business.
The opportunity appeared commercially attractive, but turning the idea into reality required considerably more investment than many people appreciate. Throughout the year, Richard balanced his consulting work with raising finance, securing premises, managing the fit-out and preparing the business to open. Much of that investment was funded through borrowing secured against his personal assets.
Looking back, Richard is candid about how exposed he became financially. "It was incredibly risky," he says. As the business developed, he realized he was effectively "the only person with skin in the game", carrying almost all of the financial consequences if things didn't go according to plan.
Why Starting From Scratch Isn't Always the Best Option
Part of the challenge was the type of business Richard had chosen. Urban Jump wasn't a company that could be built gradually from a home office or launched with minimal overheads. Before welcoming its first customers, the business needed suitable premises, specialist equipment, trained staff and robust operating systems. Revenue would only come once all of that investment had already been made.
The result was years spent growing the business while simultaneously servicing debt.
Richard's experience won't be typical of every entrepreneurial journey, but it demonstrates why understanding a company's financial requirements before committing to it is so important.
For many buyers, that's where acquiring an established business can offer significant advantages. Rather than investing years building customers, processes and revenue from the ground up, buyers step into an organisation that's already operating. Due diligence provides an opportunity to understand the company's financial position before taking ownership, helping reduce some of the uncertainty that inevitably comes with starting a new venture.
Buying a business isn't risk-free, and acquisitions often require financing of their own, but many entrepreneurs find it offers a more measured route into business ownership than building a company entirely from scratch.
Tip: If you're considering purchasing a business, our guide to financing a business acquisition explains common funding options, deal structures and the questions every first-time buyer should ask before completing a deal.
Rethinking the Traditional Career Path
Richard's story isn't simply about leaving corporate life behind. It's about making a deliberate decision to pursue something that better aligned with his long-term priorities.
That changing outlook is reflected in BusinessesForSale.com's UK Ownership Economy Index 2026. While the findings represent attitudes in the UK, they offer useful insight into why experienced professionals are increasingly considering business ownership later in their careers.
According to the survey, 60% of UK adults believe corporate careers are less secure than they once were, while 58% of people aged 45–55 think more workers are turning to business ownership after leaving corporate roles.
The research also found that 57% of UK adults believe workers over 50 face significant barriers to progressing within corporate organisations, while 76% think older workers struggle to find new employment.
Those figures shouldn't be interpreted as representing Canada, but they reflect questions many experienced professionals ask regardless of where they live. As industries evolve and career paths become less predictable, business ownership is increasingly viewed as another way to put decades of experience to work.
The survey also highlighted a noticeable difference in job satisfaction. Among UK respondents, 82% of business owners said they felt fulfilled in their work, compared with 60% of employees. While those numbers come from UK research, they reinforce an idea that's common among entrepreneurs around the world: owning a business can provide not only financial opportunity, but a greater sense of purpose and control over your working life.
Looking Ahead to the Next Chapter
Like many business owners, Richard's entrepreneurial journey wasn't without setbacks. Urban Jump faced significant challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a major insurance claim that ultimately fell through added further pressure at an already difficult time.
Eventually, Richard realised he no longer felt the same passion for the business he'd spent years building. Rather than continuing out of obligation, he decided it was time to sell. Urban Jump was listed on BusinessesForSale.com and was successfully sold in April 2026.
When I asked what life looked like after the sale, Richard said he'd been taking time to recover after nearly a decade of running the business. Retirement was one possibility, but it didn't take long for another idea to emerge.
"One of the ideas was just to sit out for a while and retire," he says. "But I think that's not me." Instead, he's already thinking about his next venture. This time, however, experience has given him a clearer picture of the kind of business he wants to build.
"I don't want to feel like I'm fighting to survive," he says. "I want to feel energised by fighting to grow."