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How to Master the Art of Quitting

In the context of business, quitting is often considered to be a negative thing.

But might it actually be time to rethink how we perceive quitting?

Dragon’s Den investor and successful entrepreneur Steven Bartlett actually attributes much of his business success to quitting various things at different stages of his life and career.

Here we look some of the tips and tricks around knowing when to quit.

Change your mindset about quitting

We’re conditioned in life and in business about the idea that quitting is always a bad thing. Quitting something is often seen as a sign of weakness or failure; but fundamentally, it is actually just a choice between whether to continue doing something or not.

Knowing when to quit is, in fact, a powerful skill that can sometimes can serve you better in the long-term than continuing to flog away at something. There is no golden rule about when it’s the right time to quit, but by changing the way you view the concept, you will have more freedom to make decisions as you see fit.

Be comfortable with your decision

We’ve all heard the phrase ‘quit whilst you’re ahead’, but how many people actually do this? If you’re running a successful business and decide to sell up, bow out, or otherwise move onto something else, there will always be those that question your decision.

Once you decide to quit, it’s important to do so with commitment and confidence. Try not to be swayed by the opinions of others – there is a reason for your choice, even if it’s not immediately visible to other people. For example, you may be successful, but you may not be happy.

Have a plan

Without quitting something, you will never have the opportunity to fulfil your goals in another area. Having a plan for what you want to achieve or do next – even if it’s to walk off into the sunset – will help you to see your decision through and move forward.

You often hear that reaching goals can be somewhat of an anti-climax – if you’ve reached your goal in a business, where else is there to go? If you feel this way, it may be time to consider moving on to the next stage or challenge in your life that will motivate you and hopefully provide a level of satisfaction.

Swim, don’t sink

The other side of quitting is jumping ship before it sinks. If you’ve given a business venture the time, dedication and effort required, but it’s still not working out, it could be time to call it quits. This applies to different aspects or elements within a business too; ploughing energy and resources into something that simply isn’t working could detract from more successful areas, which could become damaging to the rest of the business over time.

Agenda’s business consultants can help you to make key business decisions at the right times. Having an independent, unbiased yet informed opinion can be vital in ensuring you follow through on your business instincts.

 

 

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