Operating a small business can be a roller coaster ride, ups and downs, twists and turns, and often in rapid succession. This has been one of those weeks.

In the middle of last week, we sat helpless as a buyer walked away from a transaction we’d been assisting with for months. This is a client we really enjoy working with and he’s built an incredible business. Everything was in line for an end of month close, then the buyer backed out. It was a gut punch for everyone involved. We will continue to support this client as he and the broker implement a strategy in the coming months to find another buyer and we’ll jump in to help again when the time comes. Then by Friday we were brought in to start an even larger transaction and now have several warm leads through our referral network.

The last couple of days have been filled with reviewing purchase agreements and letters of intent and having client calls to go over these transaction documents. These are the grinding days and the grinding calls, the sorts of calls we liken to a trip to the dentist. For me, these are the sorts of days when the emotion of Miles Davis playing his trumpet is the perfect background soundtrack. They are good days, but there have been fewer of them than I would’ve preferred over the past few months.

Today we had a closing. Sure it stretched out longer than it should have, but that happens with certain forms of financing. This was another closing that gave us more relief than euphoria but no matter, it’s accomplished. There is another small transaction where the documents are signed and it will close on Monday. Again, just momentary relief and onto the next one.

It’s been an eventful week. Most of them feel eventful now. During a conversation yesterday with a classmate from law school who stayed in the big firm litigation world, I was smacked in the face with the reality of how crazy that really is.