Market size, startup costs, break-even, pricing, margins, customer cost, payroll, insurance, funding and the hard growth calls — test every idea against honest maths before you spend real money on it. The full detailed report costs less than a coffee: $2.95.
Somewhere past the sunk cost and the sleepless nights, every failing founder faces the question nobody celebrates: is it time to close? The trap is that past spending feels like a reason to continue, when it is actually the strongest reason not to — only future costs and future returns belong in the decision. The honest kill signals are specific: no repeat customers, unit economics that lose at any volume, months of declining revenue, and a founder whose health or relationships are paying the bill. Closing early with cash and options is a strategy; closing after the debts force it is a crisis. This guide helps you tell the difference and end cleanly either way.
A straight, kind guide to recognising when to close — the sunk-cost trap, the signs that mean stop, and the orderly way to end without wrecking yourself.
Run the numbers on paper — revenue trend, margin per sale, cash left — and ask what you would do if it were a stranger's business. If the answer is close, decide in advance and set a written date and revenue trigger, then honour it.
Tell staff first with pay settled, notify customers and finish paid work, pay creditors in the legal order, and cancel contracts, registrations and insurance. Do it while there is still cash to do it properly.
It depends on what you signed. Debt inside a limited company generally stays with the company; debt you personally guaranteed follows you home. Know which is which before you put more of your own money in — that knowledge changes the decision.
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