Comments on: Letting Things Die

By: Shanti Braford

Shanti Braford — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 05:53:07 +0000

I’ll play contrarian and say one shouldn’t necessarily consider selling a business a failure. (or is it the sale amount, that is just too low?)

I’ve sold two web businesses now, neither for millions of dollars. But those two days were probably the best in my life. (not to mention the nights out blowing some of the influx of cash)

(Came across this thread cuz I’m considering selling a Weblog Network of my own, and if I get at least a decent asking price … it’ll all have been worth it.)

By: The Thin Line Of Success & Failure at Ben’s Journal

The Thin Line Of Success & Failure at Ben’s Journal — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 03:27:31 +0000

[...] Well those who know me well are aware of the fact that I tend to lets say, be a bit ambitous at times? OK, a bit could be a bit of a understatement. I tend to get an idea in my head and run with it, the consequences come later, and the bills too! I’m almost as bad as Scrivs. [...]

By: Selling Fine Fools » Wisdump

Selling Fine Fools » Wisdump — Wed, 24 May 2006 17:20:37 +0000

[...] A couple of days ago I talked about letting things die and I wrote that entry knowing that I would be selling the Fine Fools Network. It’s not a hard thing to do now, but it’s probably something that should have been done a long time ago, but it was hard to let something die that I knew I could make stronger. Of all the projects that I have done in the past I learned the most from this one and I have no regrets. [...]

By: Spectorbrain

Spectorbrain — Mon, 22 May 2006 18:13:27 +0000

I hate to sound like my parents and grandparents, but the old adage is true, “It builds character”. I would be hesitant to partner with someone who has never failed because they’re either lying or are ill-prepared to handle the ups and downs of design, business and life. On a professional and personal level, I appreciate every success and every failure. I would not be who I am and where I am without them.

By: Scrivs

Scrivs — Mon, 22 May 2006 14:52:22 +0000

Funny because I was going to bring up the relationship analogy, but decided to stay away from it since I talk about it in so many other places. You are spot on though about each new project making us stronger for the next one, as long as we walk away with something learned. Otherwise just running through them serves absolutely no purpose.

By: Joshua Lane

Joshua Lane — Mon, 22 May 2006 14:46:31 +0000

Everytime I start a new pet-project (whether it succeeds or fails), it puts me that much closer to having all the tools necessary to making the next one a winner. It also puts me that much closer to going insane, but that can be fun too ;)

I think the hardest thing about “letting go” is how much time and energy gets put into these sorts of things. It’s like a relationship. How many times do you come across couples that keep “trying to make things work” when they should have just ended it months ago? Everyone else knows it should end, but they keep at it.

By: Ben Lilley

Ben Lilley — Mon, 22 May 2006 10:40:12 +0000

Good post.

Boy do I dive head first into projects. I really need to stop doing that though and focus on one thing, then move to the next :)

By: Osram

Osram — Mon, 22 May 2006 10:28:29 +0000

“I think that everyone that reads this site has a passion for starting a pet project and Iâ€™m sure many of you have done a couple in the past.”

It is true with my experience

By: karmatosed

karmatosed — Mon, 22 May 2006 08:31:40 +0000

Great thoughts and proof of the idea that you have to speculate to accumulate. I love doing side projects for that reason, yeah the failure rate might be high but it is through playing you can learn and develop. I think one of the big things for any person to do is play and experiment with what they know. Failures can be big blips on the radar but as you say success overcomes most blips. I guess it’s a bit about being careful about your failures too in a certain respect.

By: Richard Medek

Richard Medek — Mon, 22 May 2006 07:49:06 +0000

What a nice contrast compared to this earlier post at SVN.

I’m probably not reading into either post correctly, but this is the one I’m more inspired by emotionally. Thanks Scrivs…