I ran a small business as a sideline endeavor for several years.. grew it to the point I had to make a decision to either quit my "real" job in order to have time to run the business full time... or sell it off...
I chose to sell to a larger competitor in 2005... I had become a pretty good thorn in their side in both the local and regional market space.. had out bid them on some substantial work.. was horning in on some of their customer base.. etc.. so they were happy to throw some money my way and make me disappear... and I was happy to take their money and focus on other opportunities for a while
Im in the process of forming a new business now (a non profit).. that will be very different from the company I owned/ran previously (security consulting/risk management).. like the first time around.. I intend on this being a sideline activity for a while..
it will not replace my full time employment with another company... Its more of a "giving back" gesture on my part than an attempt to make money (I wont be paying myself anything).. I'm just taking advantage of some unique opportunities, and my global contact base.. and trying provide some help to people that need it...