Downsizing.

• Position: Brief article

Handing off a business to your son is not an easy thing to do. But a good friend told me, "Move out of the building, and you'll get your son back and your life back." This was in 2009.1 told my son, "We own two little-bitty companies that are rounding errors for the company overall." One was doing $15 million, and the other, $18 million. So I said, "I'll take those two companies, and I'll open up an office across town and build them up." They now have 1,150 employees and $310 million of annual sales. National Coatings and Supplies distributes automotive paint to collision centers. We have 120 stores in 33 states. The second is American Welding & Gas, which is...