Terry Hay of Auckland founded and was CEO of two successful companies, and later owned and operated a third. His experiences have taught him that selling a business can be a difficult, even emotional process.

Terry Hay of Auckland understands that businesspeople often identify themselves in terms of their careers, so selling your company can feel like selling a piece of yourself. That was certainly the way it was for Terry Hay of Auckland. Selling the two companies that he founded, into which he had invested not just money, but an enormous amount of time and energy, was tough. But the experience taught him that selling your company can lead to exciting new opportunities.

Terry Hay of Auckland sold Kamaaina Distribution Company in 1987, and retired at the age of 40. He had founded and was CEO of the firm. But retirement wasn’t what he had hoped for. He found himself spending too much time, he recalls with a smile, watching TV.

Terry Hay of Auckland started a new company in New Zealand called Fresh Developments. The company supplied pre-made salads to grocery store chains, and was a big success. Terry Hay of Auckland served as CEO from 1989 to 1996.

In 1996 Terry Hay of Auckland bought an existing in-flight catering firm. Pacific Flight Catering Limited provided in-flight catering services for international airlines in New Zealand. The company’s services included menu development, production, pre flight cart packing, waste disposal, and post-flight stripping and sanitization of equipment. Pacific Flight Catering was headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand.

Terry Hay of Auckland decided the time was right to sell Pacific Flight Catering in 2008. He found a buyer in Gate Gourmet, the leading independent provider of airline catering and provisioning services. Although Terry Hay of Auckland was not Pacific Flight Catering’s founder, it still represented a significant personal achievement, and the decision to sell it was difficult and took an emotional toll. Terry Hay of Auckland retired a second time, and moved back to Hawaii. Instead of watching bad TV, Terry Hay of Auckland keeps busy now as a consultant to food businesses.