Well… after a meeting with my business partner, we've made one of those big life decisions. I'm wrapping my business up. Calling it a day. Admitting defeat. You can only bang your head against a brick wall for so long.

On paper, we're profitable and doing pretty well. In reality; the last year has been an utter and complete, unmitigated nightmare. clients going bust owing us SERIOUS cash, a break-in where they cleaned us out (including my bike). So….That's it. I'm done. Defeated. Had enough. The final straw was yet another client going bump this morning

Five years building a business, down the tubes. Through not fault of my own. So… What the **** hell am I going to do now? Why on earth am I asking you lot? Any suggestions then? The more stupid, the better? Lets have 'em? I haven't a clue. Genuinely. 🙂

Well… apart from go to the pub for the afternoon and get absolutely blitzed. We'll take that as a given, shall we?

No ideas at all, but sorry it didn't work out for you.

What industry were you working in ?

Awww sh1t. Sorry to hear that.

What do you / did you do?

feel for you.

Fireman.

Go get a job for someone else and let them take the risks. Hard lines all the same.

Bespoke ladies clothing for, er, the middle aged gent out for a spot of fresh air?

😀

Second the firefighter suggestion – salary isn't too great but time off and work/life balance is unreal.

It'll leave you a hell of a time off for biking or "secondary employment" if you want to supplement your earnings…

Become hora's live-in man love.

I'm sure he'll pay well.

facing a similar decision for my company at the moment.

currently errign towards a 'keep going as long as possible and hope somethign turns up' approach.

this might be a good short term choice;

he is a graphic designer iirc

No ideas or suggestion sorry – try and get a job I assume- best of luck fella as you said chin up

Really really sorry top hear that Adam.

Are you looking at staying in the same industry ? I would have thought your skills were in demand by a few companies surely. It will be refreshing just getting a 9-5 without the worries of running the partnership though.

I'm going to be in the same boat I reckon in a few weeks.

Best of luck mate.

Policeman …

Get a job teaching, you don't have to work most of the time. 😉

Bespoke ladies clothing for, er, the middle aged gent out for a spot of fresh air?

Having trouble getting supplies?

Sorry to hear that, I know how hard it can be closing a business down.

Could you not carry-on on your own, even if it's part-time around another job?

Not sure about work, but I had a cracking surf this morning. That could be a good idea short term.

Pothole repair man might be a lucrative idea, for a short while anyway.

Sorry to hear that Binners.

What to do next ? If you are Limited take full advantage of the HMRC's offer to defer VAT and PAYE payments, keep a few choice suppliers sweet and start again working from home with low overheads for a select few Clients who you know will pay. It worked for me.

I think initially there's going to be a lot of riding involved. If it stops bloody snowing

I suspect, as I've been running my own business for years, most companies won't touch me with a barge-pole.

See if i can pick some free-lance. After the unbelievable amount of stress over the last year, I fancy a job where I can leave my brain at the door

Sodding off to Portugal and sell Solero's on the beach sound top draw to me

Was your business the type of thing that you could sell on so at least you'd get some money out?

Sorry to hear that – I have no idea what business you're in but that can never be fun.
On the other hand, if you're currently financially liquid, see it as an opportunity to plss off abroad for 6 months. Take some time out, get off the treadmill for a while and take stock of what you want in life, come back refreshed and up for it again (if you come back at all!)

On a similar topic, after a big internet outage yesterday we asked what we would do if it didn't exist…

I would love to **** off abroad. However: After the last year, I couldn't afford the coach fare to blackpool.

I would say sorry but you sound pretty stoked about it. become a male escort.

Binners – well done for having the guts to pull the plug & good luck with whatever comes next. I'm in a similar situation, starting down the barrel of a gun with the business but am currently opting for the (easier) "sit it out" option. Mainly cos I've also got **** all idea what else I'd do instead and am hoping for inspiration!

A 6month contract away from Manchester is what you need (you big gayer).

Ive always wanted a scooter repair and hire buisness, on a beach, maybe Fiji…

I'm not eloping with you Hora. Tsk. How many times…..?

Purist – hope you come through it. We clung on through last year, hoping it'd improve. It didn't. We just had no luck. Its reallly frustrating as, on paper, we had (still have) a viable business

We got turned over by some utter ****s too. I don't know how some people sleep at night, to be honest

Sign on. They won't be able to get you any jobs worth two shits, but at least you'll get your £60 a week…

**** ell mr woppit you ray of sunshine you

Jeremy Kyle and shoplifting?

Sorry binners!

Osteopathy is currenly top of my career change list.

4 years' full time training, though.

Edit: I'm not apologising because I'm one of your defunct clients, you'd probably know that. Just empathising! Hope this is the start of something good.

hora – Member

**** ell mr woppit you ray of sunshine you

Yeah, tell me about it. Redundancy makes little sunshines of us all….

Cressers: "We're all doomed". 😐

If you like the idea of some time out, the VSO is always looking for small business managers…

Training? What graphics software you familiar with. Get your Adobe Certified trainer/expert type thing if its P/shop or Illustrator or whatever. Technical support on similar lines poss, working as a cog in the big corporate machine.

Today: beer all afternoon and a handjob in the bus shelter on the way home.

Tomorrow morning: hangover and a feeling of self loathing.

Tomorrow afternoon: beer all afternoon…. (you get the picture).

Monday: sober up and head back into the office to work out (1) what's worth anything (2) what work in progress you have on that you can invoice (3) smack the security guard in the mouth who should have stopped the burglary…

Tuesday: wake up in cell. Ring hora to bail you.

Wednesday: go to Asda to be a £19 suit. Appear in court in the afternoon.

Thursday: sign on with every intention of benefit fraud.

Friday: freelance yourself to people who will pay. Back to pub for the weeknd.

Mr Man in North,
I'm tenpted to ask you to sort my life out..