𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 (𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲)

I recently sat with a client, a Founder who has poured years of energy, capital and identity into their business. We weren't talking about scaling or Series B or product-market fit. We were talking about the decision to close.

It is a conversation many in our industry shy away from, yet it is one of the most significant acts of leadership I have witnessed.

Choosing to wind down a business is often framed as "failing." But in reality, making that call with clarity and care is the absolute opposite of failure. Here is why:

1. 𝗜𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘆. It is easy to stay the course out of ego or inertia. It is incredibly difficult to look at the market, the data and the reality, and admit that the path forward no longer exists. That isn’t a lack of grit; it’s a commitment to the truth.

2. 𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽. When a Founder decides to close with intention — honouring commitments to employees, communicating transparently with investors and protecting the dignity of what they have built — they are protecting their most valuable asset: their integrity.

3. 𝗜𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁. You cannot build the next great thing while your hands are white-knuckled around something that is no longer serving its purpose. Closing a chapter is often the prerequisite for a new, more aligned level of impact.

To my client, and any Founder navigating this path: Your business is something you built, but it is not who you are.

Leadership isn't just about knowing when to start. It’s about having the courage and the character to know when to stop.