The Plug Must Be Pulled: How to Kill a Business Before It Kills You

By Eddie Mugulusi

Nobody wants to be the one to say it, so allow me:

Sometimes, the smartest business move… is quitting.

I know that sounds like a betrayal of every motivational quote poster ever printed, but hear me out.

Because if you’re running a small business and the numbers are redder than a tomato in July, then what you need is not another pep talk. What you need… is a calculator and a cold heart.

But what if I just hold on a bit longer?

That’s the first thing people say.

“I have a lot of stock. I just need to push it harder.”

No, you don’t.

You’re not in a pushing season. You’re in a bleeding season. And the longer you stay open, the deeper your losses go. Rent doesn’t care about your dreams. Utilities don’t accept optimism. Landlords don’t do motivational quotes.

I’ve met many small business owners stuck in this trap. They’ve got shops full of goods, shelves neatly arranged, even the lights are still on. But the numbers? Brutal.

Month after month, they’re losing money.

And yet they stay open—because of “stock.”

That stock has now become a prison. Every time they think of closing, they see it and whisper: “Maybe one more month…”

Stop making emotional decisions with business money.

Here’s the hard truth: If your decision is based on inventory, not numbers, you’re letting emotion drive the bus.

Bad idea.

Because business doesn’t respond to your feelings. It responds to cash flow.

If demand has died, margins are thin, and projections are showing zero light at the end of the tunnel, your business is done. You just haven’t accepted it yet.

Don’t wait to “feel ready.” The losses don’t wait for your feelings to catch up.

Apply the Plug Rule.

Here’s what I call it: “The Plug Rule.”

If the numbers say you’re bleeding and there’s no turnaround in sight—pull the plug. Immediately. Stock or no stock.

Once you know it’s time, don’t delay. Every day you wait is another day you’re pouring water into a leaking bucket.

Take the stock home.
Stack it in your garage. Store it at your auntie’s house. Build a shrine to it if you must. But close the shop and stop the bleeding.

From there, you can still find creative ways to sell what’s left—online, door-to-door, or even at a Sunday market. But don’t let the presence of stock keep you in a business that no longer works.

The longer you stall, the harder the crash.

This is not about being a quitter. This is about being a wise operator.

Because your goal isn’t just to be “in business.” Your goal is to be in a sustainable, profitable business.

And sometimes, pulling the plug on a sinking ship is the only way to have a shot at sailing again later.

I’ve seen too many good people hang on too long… only to crash so hard they lose the motivation (and money) to try again.

So if this article sounds even slightly like your current situation… step back, grab the calculator, and revisit your reality.

Then pull the plug if you must.

Your future self will thank you.