I've had a similar journey to yours. Started January 1st 2019, early 30s, had a second kid. Loving every minute of it, though I do wonder when the fun is going to end. Every year I'm surprised the business keeps growing. This year my goal is to diversify to try and ease that gnawing anxiety, but every time I try working on something else I feel guilty about ignoring what's already been working for me. Tempted to just sell so I can have a bigger cushion and less distraction on my next venture, but not sure how the current climate would affect the valuation.
I recommend having an initial talk with a broker if you're thinking about it at all.
The brokers I've met are happy to talk if you have a profitable business, even if you don't plan on selling anytime soon, and you don't have to sign anything to commit to them. They can talk to you about what you can do to prepare for an exit even if you don't expect that to happen for several years (and it might take you several years to manage yourself out of the business).
I personally liked the broker I worked with and recommend him.[0]
This is a really good idea, similar to raising money when you don't need it. It could help prevent you from making a mistake or getting into a unattractive position for when you are thinking of selling. I've seen this with one & few person companies, everything from messy ownership & cap tables, to tax obligations, to the structure of multi-year sales or contracts. This is why even big PE portfolio companies start planning for a sale years in advance; the difference (making it harder for you IMO) is that they have a pretty good idea when the sale will happen.
