Happiness and stress post-acquisition?

Well I can speak to it from a personal point of view (operated 11 years post search). Plus the people I've invested in and I've had 2200 searchers call over the years. Though mainly that's before search. So nok scientifically I'd say the following. It doesn't make you happier or unhappier. You do however get a strong sense of purpose. It isn't a job, it's who you are and what you do. There is a great article by aj wasserstein on what it's like after selling. We were one of the most successful and that definitely did not lead to some higher level of happiness. As the company becomes more successful it leads to more material wealth. I'd say for me fun and stress were in equal portions. Compared to a job the highs are higher and the lows lower. At times the stress is extreme, but honestly the business stress is a problem to solve and you have a lot of levers at your disposal. So it's more life stressors, such as relationships and geography , that are the harder ones to handle. At the toughest times I never questioned whether I was the right person to be doing it, nor whether I was in the wrong line of work. The purpose , the jobs you create, the families you're impacting, the control of your own time (even if that means working all hours) are all things that I found make a better life. I sold, it was a great result, but I'd take being a search fund ceo again in a heartbeat.

As long as you redefine what having fun means that all should be fun! Stress level at the search phase combarable with run phase