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.

Every founder has their own way of getting through hard days.

Mine is Nyx Thorne — a fictional hero I created to remind myself that clarity, courage, and rebellion are always possible.

Her journal reminds me (and maybe you) that it’s okay to struggle — and still move forward.
That’s all for today. See you next week.
- Eugene

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

RECENT ISSUES OF

Founder Stories

August 22, 2025

The Myth of the Always-On Founder

Or minute of mistaking chaos for leadership

I used to believe that real founders never step away. That presence was everything. That leadership meant being reachable at all times, answering every Slack ping, jumping on every call, staying up late to fix the unfixable. I wasn’t alone in this belief. In fact, most early-stage founders I meet are still trapped in it.
August 15, 2025

Growth isn’t the goal. Resilience is.

Or minute of chasing scale, only to lose your soul

In the early years of my entrepreneurial journey, I carried a quiet shame. We were a small agency. Ten people. Maybe fifteen on a good year. And no matter how well we delivered, no matter how hard we worked, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we weren’t a “real” business. Just when things were finally starting to work out, some crisis or random mess would hit, and we’d shrink back again.
August 8, 2025

Why smaller teams feel bigger

Or minute of building warmth — before you drown in headcount

I’ve always believed that business is, at its core, about people. Not just about transactions, not just about efficiency, but about real, human connection. In the early years, I knew every single person by name. I knew whose kid was starting school, whose mother was ill, who had a birthday coming up. I genuinely cared, and that wasn’t just a management tactic — it was what made me feel alive inside the business.

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.