Would I sell if someone offered a high price?

It's like asking: if someone offers a high price for the child you painstakingly raised, would you sell?

The answer isn't that simple; it depends on why you "gave birth" to this child in the first place.

Type 1: Those who saw it as 'raising a pig to sell for profit' from the outset

If, from day one of your entrepreneurship, your goal was to build a company, then sell it to achieve financial freedom, then your company is more like a meticulously designed "product" or "project" to you.

With this mindset, when someone offers a high price, the question becomes very simple: Is the price right? Is the timing right?

Price: Does this "high price" meet your target figure? Is it enough for you and your team to live the life you desire?
Timing: Is the company in its "adolescence" of rapid growth, making it a shame to sell? Or has it reached a bottleneck, making it the perfect time to cash out at a high point and exit?
Buyer: Is the acquiring party reliable? Will they mess up the brand and team you painstakingly built?

For this type of entrepreneur, selling the company is a successful exit, part of the plan. There's nothing wrong with that; the essence of business is transactions.

Type 2: For whom the company is their 'own child'

However, for many, especially engineers by background, the initial motivation for entrepreneurship might not be purely for money. You might have wanted to solve a problem that even you found vexing, or to build a dream product, or perhaps to establish a team with a unique culture.

In such cases, the company is no longer just a project; it embodies your ideals, efforts, and emotions. It's more like your "child."

When someone makes an offer, your internal struggle will be very complex:

Emotional reluctance: I raised this myself; how can I just sell it? What about the team members? They followed me, not to be sold off.
Worry for the 'child's' future: After selling it to a new 'adoptive parent,' will they treat it well? Can my product vision continue? Will the company culture be destroyed? There are too many examples of large companies acquiring small teams only to eventually kill off the projects.
Loss of self-worth: You sell the company, get a large sum of money, and then what? Your life's purpose suddenly vanishes. Many founders fall into a huge void and confusion after selling their company because their identity and sense of value are deeply tied to it. You are no longer the CEO leading the charge and conquering new territories; you are just a wealthy "former founder."

A candid word from someone who's been there

So, there's no standard answer to this question. But you can ask yourself a few deeper questions:

What does money mean to you? When the price reaches a certain level, for example, enough to ensure you and your family are financially secure for generations, it can indeed change many things. But where is that 'threshold'? You need to think clearly about this.
What do you plan to do after selling? Will you take the money to travel the world, and then what? Or will you immediately start a new venture? If your plans for the future are vague, it's best not to sell easily. If you can't figure this out, the immense emptiness after receiving the money might consume you.
What are the attached conditions of the acquisition? Many acquisitions require the founding team to stay and work for a few years (the so-called "golden handcuffs"). These years might be very painful for you because you are no longer the boss, just a high-level employee, having to follow the new boss's directives, and even watching your hard work be changed beyond recognition.

In summary, if your original intention was "value realization," then treat it as a business, do the math, and make the most rational business decision.

If your original intention was "to realize an ideal," then you need to think clearly about what's more important to you: the money gained from selling the company, or the "control over your dream" and "sense of self-identity" that you will lose.

Ultimately, this is a question about "who you are" and "what you want," rather than a simple math problem.