October 4, 2024
Story [#11]

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.”

X-Pert
So, are you signing off on that whole “no Plan B” thing?
The Founder
I had more plans than a kid with a stack of Pokémon cards. If it weren’t for those, I wouldn’t be here talking right now.
X-Pert
And the idea was crap. You realized too late that you should’ve cut your losses before it got really bad.
The Founder
Still flaot up after ditching my dead weight.

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.

A quick video I made on the topic. Might be useful.
That’s all for today. See you next week.
- Eugene

Whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:

1.  Reply or DM me — and I’ll help.

That’s where I offer the Ops-On-Demand™ Sprint to founders who are ready to step out of daily chaos.

2. Founder Resources (free)​

My ebook Business Black Box Unpacked, the 5‑Day Ops Setup email course, and mini tools to simplify your operations.
→ Explore Founder Resources​​

3. Private Strategy Call (premium)​

A 60-minute 1:1 session for founders ready to fix operational bottlenecks.
You’ll leave with a clear diagnosis, practical system improvements, and specific ideas for automation, delegation, and simplification.
→ Book a Strategy Call

Join the “most offbeat” Businessletter on entrepreneurship.

And get free eBook Business Black Box Unpacked on business processes and systems.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Autjor avatar

Hi, I’m Eugene.

Strategist, operator, and product builder helping founders escape operational chaos and build businesses that work without them.

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.
Today, I work with small business owners and independent founders who’ve outgrown hustle advice and need practical structure.

I help them make sense of complexity, design simple systems, and create the kind of business they actually want to run.

More Stories

Story [#62]
September 26, 2025

Stop outsourcing chaos

Story [#61]
September 19, 2025

The storm every founder faces

Story [#59]
September 5, 2025

Don’t hire until your system is ready

Story [#58]
August 29, 2025

No structure? Say goodbye to growth

Story [#57]
August 22, 2025

The Myth of the Always-On Founder

Story [#56]
August 15, 2025

Growth isn’t the goal. Resilience is.

Story [#55]
August 8, 2025

Why smaller teams feel bigger

Story [#53]
July 25, 2025

You don’t need a heroic team

RECENT ISSUES OF

Founder Stories

September 26, 2025

Stop outsourcing chaos

Or minute of mistaking abdication for delegation

Every founder I know has dreamed of freedom. Freedom from sales calls. Freedom from endless admin. Freedom from being the only one who knows how things really work. So you start hiring. A VA for operations. A marketing agency for growth. Maybe a sales rep to finally get clients off your back. And yet, somehow, nothing changes.
September 19, 2025

The storm every founder faces

Or minute of realizing your emergency is by design

I used to think I was just “bad at handling stress.” That the constant exhaustion, the sleepless nights, the anxiety — were personal flaws. But they weren’t. They were the result of a business built to collapse the moment anything went wrong. And the truth is, most founders are trapped in the same machine.
September 12, 2025

If your calendar’s full, your mind isn’t clear

Or minute of mistaking busyness for leadership

In the early days of my agency, we all sat in one office. Nothing was formal. No scheduled calls. No endless meetings. We solved problems by walking over to someone’s desk, or chatting at the coffee machine. When we needed “strategy sessions,” they quickly turned into pizza-fueled team hangouts, fun, but not productive. I didn’t mind. It felt natural, even healthy. I thought: this is how small companies work.

Join the “most offbeat” Businessletter on business, systems and freedom.

And get free eBook Business Black Box Unpacked on business processes and systems.
Thank you!
Didn’t get the email?
Make sure to check your spam folder.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.