Is your business showing signs of distress? Or is it straight-up tanking? There are simple measures you can take to bring it back from the brink. Your business might be dying, but that doesn’t have to mean it’s over.
Here are five things you can do to save your dying business and also help it thrive.
1. Evaluate Your Situation Honestly
Before physicians treat a patient, they do all kinds of tests and make a diagnosis. So when you realize that your business is in serious trouble, stop. You need to take a good, hard look at your company to evaluate and assess what is going wrong. You can’t take action without knowing where to start.
The recent explosion of Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket might have seemed like his greatest failure to date. The first thing he told his followers on Twitter was that he was going to take time to evaluate what went wrong. Even though it seemed like a failure, Musk and his team continue to push through toward future success.
2. Rethink Your Strategy
The way you think about your failures is key to your success. After re-evaluating your company, chances are you have found where you went wrong and are ready to redefine and rethink your strategy. You have decided to not give up, and are determined to succeed. This is a great step in reviving your dying business — but also a hard one.
A good example of this for entrepreneurs is Steve Jobs, who was constantly rethinking his products to service the world better. Apple went from being nearly shut down to giving us the iPhone just a decade later, according to Forbes.
3. Focus on Your People
You may think that the problem is in your software, hardware, or your data. But the best businesses are the ones that run with soul. Your most important assets are your people—your employees. When your company seems to be failing, re-evaluate not just your strategy, but those who need to execute it. If necessary, get rid of those who are slowing you down, and hire those who can help revive your dying business.
Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, is known for his unconventional approach to hiring and selecting a team. He often bases his choice on a person’s talents and attitudes rather than their skills or diplomas.
4. Let Go of Pride and Fear
Rather than playing the blame game—which will get you nowhere—successful CEOs and business leaders know that admitting their faults and showing genuine humility will help rebuild and re-boost their organization. When business leaders are unwilling to change, or stick to preconceived ideas of what they think will work, it is a recipe for disaster.
Pride is also a form of fear. If you’re unable to admit you don’t have a clue and are unwilling to delegate tasks to others who are more capable of them, you will cause your entire organization to fail.
If you still fear failure, take a lesson from billionaire Richard Branson, who said, “Failure is one of the secrets to success, since some of the best ideas arise from the ashes of a shuttered business.”
5. Don’t Lose Your Passion
Passion is what made you start your business in the first place, and it will help you to keep going. Passion may not always come with the voice of reason, but it may be the fuel you need to reignite that fire.
Nick Woodman, who invented the GoPro camera and was a billionaire at 36, said his success came only after he created a business that brought his passion for surfing to life. He had already failed at two businesses before his passion launched him to global success.
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This article was originally written on October 31, 2016 and updated on June 16, 2022.
Hi, I have just taken over the affairs of a once successful but dying haulage business. Most of the vehicles are old and badly maintained. And a whole lot of haulage appendages which are still useful but have been wasting for years. Worst case is we are very low on cash. How do I tackle this.
Mike – I’d recommend you get an expert opinion. Have you thought about talking to a SCORE mentor or SBDC advisor? Their services are free. Use the SBA local assistance locator to find someone in your area.
Low in cash can be straining phase,but start on small scale and be honest to yourself.
Hi,
Any success stories on your question?
Hi!
I started a retail clothing and accessories business in Dubai about 3 months ago. Since then I have had very low sales. The customers find the stuff too expensive although we have everything branded from swimwear to clothes.
Sometimes even after discounts they find it too expensive. I am not even able to cover the shop’s rent, my personal expenses are beyond imagination. How do I workout the solution? Kindly help me by suggesting something that I can improve.
Started a concrete buisness about 5 yrs ago had 3 great years and now things have just slowed right down
took on a garage door buisness and also spray asphalt also do epoxy floors tried being diverse and do very good work but now bills are piling up and cash flow in the winter is very limited.
Hi,
I started a food business just two months ago, but it’s already dying by now.
It’s really hard to get customer, and I am running out of budget.
I tried many ways, held an event at my place, even hire an influencer to help me on marketing.
But nothing seems to work, 1 or 2 customer a day is our usual, 5 is very good which is also very rare.
Please, How do I save my business?
Sara,
Are you working with a business mentor? If not I’d recommend you contact one right away. It’s free!
Get help from your local SCORE chapter or SBDC office. Use the SBA local assistance locator to find help in your area.
I’m going through the same thing Sara explained earlier.mine is a smoothie business.i need help
Kelly – I’d offer you similar advice. Meet as soon as possible with a SBDC advisor and/or a SCORE mentor who can help you evaluate your current business and its prospects. Their services are free. I with you the best as you figure out what’s next!