The situation
I’ve spent four years building my company and it’s running out of money. Sales haven’t picked up, the last funding round fell through, and I may have to close it and let my staff go. I feel like a failure and I can’t stop thinking about what I could have done differently.
Your situation, reframed
AI interpretationYou are facing a real loss, and fear, shame and regret are understandable responses to it. But the business’s fate was never fully yours to command: markets, investors and timing all had a vote. What was yours, and still is, is how you acted, how you treat the people affected, and what you do next.
The dichotomy of control
AI interpretationYours to act on
- Facing the numbers honestly and making the next decision in good time
- How openly and fairly you treat staff, customers and investors
- Getting proper professional advice before you decide
- What you take from this into whatever comes next
Not yours
- The market, the funding climate and investors’ decisions
- Whether customers buy in time
- The years already spent
- What others conclude about you
The Stoics said
Verbatim from the source · full citationsSeneca, On Peace of Mind 13
… I will set sail unless anything happens to prevent me, I shall be praetor, if nothing hinders me, my financial operations will succeed, unless anything goes wrong with them. This is why we say that nothing befalls the wise man which he did not expect—we do not make him exempt from the chances of human life, but from its mistakes, nor does everything happen to him as he wished it would, but as he thought it would: now his first thought was that his purpose might meet with some resistance, and the pain of disappointed wishes must affect a man’s mind less severely if he has not been at all events confident of success.
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 8.32
It is thy duty to order thy life well in every single act; and if every act does its duty, as far as is possible, be content; and no one is able to hinder thee so that each act shall not do its duty.—But something external will stand in the way.—Nothing will stand in the way of thy acting justly and soberly and considerately.—But perhaps some other active power will be hindered.—Well, but by acquiescing in the hindrance and by being content to transfer thy efforts to that which is allowed, another opportunity of action is immediately put before thee in place of that which was hindered, and one which will adapt itself to this ordering of which we are speaking.
Epictetus, Enchiridion 4
… If you are going to bathe, place before yourself what happens in the bath: some splashing the water, others pushing against one another, others abusing one another, and some stealing: and thus with more safety you will undertake the matter, if you say to yourself, I now intend to bathe, and to maintain my will in a manner conformable to nature. And so you will do in every act: for thus if any hindrance to bathing shall happen, let this thought be ready: it was not this only that I intended, but I intended also to maintain my will in a way conformable to nature; but I shall not maintain it so, if I am vexed at what happens.
What this means here
AI interpretationSeneca, On Peace of Mind 13
Seneca recommends attaching an honest condition to every plan: this will succeed, unless something gets in the way. The passage opens with a warning against needless busyness, not against ambitious work you believed in; the part that matters here is the habit of attaching a condition to every plan. Founders are often encouraged to do the opposite and treat success as certain. The passage argues that the wise person is not spared setbacks, only the mistake of being blindsided by them, and that disappointment cuts less deeply when you never staked everything on a guaranteed outcome. Held this way, the rescue of this business, or the next venture, can have your full commitment without your whole self riding on the result.
Translation note: A praetor held a senior Roman public office; the point applies to any ambition.
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 8.32
Marcus is arguing with himself about exactly this: what if something external blocks the work? His answer has two parts. Nothing can stop you acting justly, soberly and considerately, which matters a great deal in how you close or restructure a business. And when one path is blocked, accepting the block frees your effort for the next thing that is possible, instead of spending it on what can no longer be.
Translation note: Acquiescing in the hindrance means accepting the obstacle rather than fighting it; soberly means with a clear, steady mind.
Epictetus, Enchiridion 4
Epictetus uses a trip to the crowded public baths, with its splashing, jostling and petty theft, to make a point that fits business well. Every undertaking has two aims: the thing itself, and conducting yourself well while you pursue it. The first can fail for reasons beyond you. The second is still entirely within reach, in how you tell your staff, how you deal with creditors and how you speak to yourself.
Translation note: To maintain my will in a way conformable to nature means to keep your character and judgement in good order, whatever happens.
Together, the passages separate the venture from the person. Seneca shows that outcomes always came with a condition attached; Marcus shows that a blocked path frees effort for an open one; Epictetus shows that the second aim, acting well, is the one that cannot fail. The business may close. The way you handle its closing is still yours, and it is something you will be able to look back on without shame.
One action for today
AI interpretationAct with a reserve clause
This week, book time with an accountant or insolvency adviser so your next decision rests on proper advice rather than dread. Then write two columns: what you intended for the business, and how you intended to conduct yourself while building it. Whatever happens to the first column, choose one action today that honours the second, such as telling your team the truth early.