‘Should I sell my business or keep my dream job?’

premises, administration and some discounted supplies by plugging into and being part of the centre.

Arguably the most important benefit is the good reputation amongst the local community, and the cross selling of services all available under the same roof.

The offer to buy your business comes from a property developer who has built a small portfolio of businesses similar in profile to your own. He has experience of helping businesses that share premises and resources to optimise their potential, and believes all the practitioners would benefit from updated premises, systems and cheaper access to resources, and he believes the business has over 35pc of unused capacity.

After several meetings with him and his team you can see the centre would have a very different vibe to the collaborative working environment you have built up with your colleagues. While you admit there are improvements in capacity to be had, you believe the cost would be a working environment similar to what you chose to leave behind.

We have done some financial planning that imagined you retiring at 55, but this offer has come to you at 45.

The sale value gives you the asset base we had planned to support retirement at 55, but if you think of it this way it can highlight the challenge: divide your life into three parts – work, rest and play. Then ask if you do your best spending when sleeping or working, or at play?

It becomes obvious that play time is expensive. In your case, if you were to start the high spending years earlier and tried to maintain it for longer, your later life financial security would be undermined. You may end up outliving your resources unless you are willing to compromise on lifestyle in retirement.

Given that you enjoy your work and have created an environment that nourishes you, I understand why you are reluctant to imagine an alternative occupation.

I also understand your concern that not taking the offer leaves you reliant on the continued success of the centre – however, this is not a new risk.

Before the offer came in you were happy that you had three elements of value in the business – you own half the premises and would continue as a landlady in retirement, you had your own client bank to sell as an asset and you are the sole shareholder of the business that owns the brand, and the income sharing contracts with the therapists.

From a financial planning perspective, it is too early for you to retire. From a quality of life perspective, I think you are probably going to get the best return – both personally and financially, from developing your centre further.

I also believe that now you have experience of what a purchaser will be looking for, you should explore how to make it even more valuable to future buyers.

Given how concerned you are to preserve the culture of the centre, you may want to explore selling the company to your team of therapists via a management buy out (MBO).

Floating this idea sooner rather than later would give the therapists time to consider how they may raise finance if they want to participate.

You should be flattered by the interest in buying your business, but I think when it comes to what will work best for you it is not selling at that price at this time, but letting it open your mind to exploring your options and preparing for sale in the coming decade.

Moral Money

Sam Secomb is the Telegraph’s Moral Money columnist. She is an experienced chartered financial planner, and founder of Women’s Wealth, a financial advice and coaching service that specialises in helping women.

Email moralmoney@telegraph.co.uk