One of my coworkers and I have decided that we'd like to go part ways with our current employer and start up our own business.
Currently we are in a small IT company with their software development department. Without us the department will collapse and the main company will not be able to quickly recover from the loss (we are department managers and rulers).
We don't want the main company to suffer, so we plan to continue to work for them, but on a contract basis.
Basically we'd like to change our employment contracts into a business contract and be able to take on our own customers, and hire our own people.
We are afraid that once we lay out the situation to the boss, he may become resentful and accuse us of a conspiracy.
What do you think would be the best way to put it, so it does not look like a betrayal?
p.s. have to hide behind a new account for reasons above.
Update: seems like a many people are concerned with legal side of things. We have a lawyer and she is overlooking the process, making sure we don't do anything stupid. We certainly are not planning to steal customers from our old company, unless they agree to give them to us.