I’m going to have to let some staff go, but it will break my heart

Dear Aunty B,

I need to make some really tough decisions which are going to break my heart.

I am going to have to give up our nice offices that we were so proud to move into three years ago and move to my home, and I am going to have to let some fantastic people go whom have show incredible loyalty and belief in the business and me personally.

I just don’t even know how to begin the unwinding and I am putting it off every day. How do I get started as I really need help. Just the effort of staying in business and negotiating with suppliers who need money on a day-to-day basis is taking everything so I think I will start tomorrow and then I don’t.

I jut can’t bear hurting these people,
Victoria

Dear Can’t bear hurting,

You are wrong. You are not unwinding. You are rebuilding in response to changing market forces. That is what you must tell yourself and then you must tell yourself to carry on.

You have to take action and you have to take it fast. No matter how hard this is and how bad you are going to feel, you can’t put this off. And yes you will feel pain and humiliation and embarrassment. I know so many entrepreneurs who got soft through the 80s and they could not make the necessary adjustments in time in order to survive. Which meant of course that they weren’t around as things got better to give people more jobs and grow their businesses.

Yes, we are in tough times. And this is when the tough get going. So carry your decisions out as quickly as you can in the most humane way you can. You might be surprised how people respond.

Be smart,
Your Aunty B

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