Kill your business. Right now!
Or why the path to success is paved with bones
I confess, it pisses me off when “business gurus” make loud, absolute statements. It’s clear why they do it—to stir up the crowd. Stirring up crap is the best way to grab attention.
I struggle with this approach, but I’ll learn—promise!
What the “gurus” won’t tell you is that there’s always context, a specific situation, and different possibilities.
Some people are struggling with… constipation and can’t think about anything else.
And then: “Your idea was great. You just gave up too soon.”
Like… what??
Or: “You don’t need a Plan B when you fully commit to Plan A.”
Well, give me a break.
Then people wonder why everyone’s stopped using their brains. With advice like this, they’ll atrophy from lack of use. If they even manage to leave offspring behind, which I highly doubt.
Giving advice is easy—no heavy lifting.
Especially when the main goal is to sell some shit. The advisor faces no consequences.
That’s probably why, in discussions, I always feel like the bud ruining the party.
Stripping illusions away.
Oh well.
Honestly, I have no idea what kind of business you have, what your problems are, or what you’re even looking for. Maybe you’re an employee dreaming, “I’ll start a business, get rich, famous, and free.”
Well, okay. I want that, too. Who doesn’t, when every social feed is packed with success stories? Even a lamppost would get tempted.
Or maybe you’re searching for the secret to 10x your sales of magica-shit product?
How can anyone give advice on that? And, by the way, what the heck is a magica-shit product?
But there’s more to it.
End of the prelude.
There are some damn tough decisions that no one but you can make. But you’ll have to. It’s like a game—you can’t unlock the next level without it. The kicker is, you have no idea what’s next—it could be up, or it could be straight down.
And down is very likely. Just tie a weight to your ankles and swim to the other side, toward “success.”
My hardest decision was to kill my business (yep, right), which had turned from a good idea into burden.
It had been that way for a while. I was just too dumb to see it. I kept trimming little pieces, hoping to hold onto the illusion of my comfortable world.
Look around.
The world isn’t just changing—it’s twisting, breaking, and vomiting out the bloody remains of its old normal. While you’re clinging to the hope that things will go back to the way they were, that wheel of Samsara keeps rolling and crushing everything in its path. Squish-squish.
I mentioned that I don’t know your “context,” or what you’re struggling with. Maybe things are great for you, and you’re soaring like a rocket. Good for you! Just remember—a rocket ride is like sitting on a barrel of dynamite—it’s fun and exciting until it blows up.
We live in interesting times. But there are no other times, so…
The only advice worth following today is to spin your head 360 degrees. Use that thing inside.
Make conclusions, make decisions. Even the hard ones. The time of rainbows and unicorns is over.
AI, blockchain, automation, gig economy, financial crises, protectionism, shattered logistics—they’re breaking down century-old businesses and creating opportunities we could’ve never dreamed of… unless we were crazy.
I’m convinced that the ones who will survive the coming trials are the “too big to fail” corporations (and not all of them), those with exclusive technologies and government support, and entrepreneurs who can adapt quickly, without wasting time reflecting on “How could this happen?”
Here’s the harsh truth—neither group will care about regular employees. No more smoothies, cookies, or sabbaticals (unless you’re a superstar).
And this whole mess is moving at lightning speed.
What worked yesterday might be useless tomorrow. A whirlpool of crap, technologies, and course sellers.
So what now?
Hide in a deep ass hole and keep your head down? Or go all in?
Watch, learn (business, first of all), experiment, adapt, cut costs, integrate AI and automation—anything you can get your hands on. And… decide.
No “guru,” mentor, or advisor is going to do it for you.
Do what needs to be done. Let the chips fall where they may.
And to end on a positive note—“mama’s boys” would survive.
Maybe.
But not everywhere.
If you want to know more about other mess-ups and lessons on my entrepreneurial journey — subscribe to Eugene’s Stories.
See you soon!
- Eugene
And one more thing.
- Eugene
Join the “most offbeat” Businessletter on entrepreneurship.
Hi, I’m Eugene.
Over the past 20+ years, I’ve grown an international agency from one-person freelance to a multimillion-dollar business. I’ve led teams, scaled systems, burned out, rebuilt, and learned (the hard way) what it really takes to run a business that doesn’t consume your life.
I help them make sense of complexity, design simple systems, and create the kind of business they actually want to run.
More Stories
Founder Stories
The lessons you’ll never hear from winners
Or minute of silence for the stories that never returned home
The heartbeat of your business
Or minute of listening to what your company is really trying to tell you
