What happens if my other children feel cheated after I sell the business to just one of them?

Feeling cheated isn't the same as having a legal claim. A properly documented sale, made while the parent had capacity and wasn't unduly influenced, is generally valid even if other children are unhappy with the outcome. Challenges to this kind of transaction usually have to be based on something more specific — that the parent lacked capacity at the time, was pressured or unduly influenced by the purchasing child, or that the transaction wasn't a genuine sale at all, for example if no real payment changed hands and it functioned as a disguised gift meant to defeat other children's expectations.

Good documentation is the best protection against these disputes. An independent valuation, separate legal advice for each side, clear records of negotiations, and a properly signed purchase agreement all make it much harder for anyone to later argue the sale wasn't legitimate. If real friction already exists in the family, it's worth thinking through how the sale will be explained and documented before it happens, not just afterward.