10 years of work, walked away with zero

Catching up with my friend yesterday.
Successful F&B entrepreneur. Was running a pretty successful pub for 10 years.
Now selling coffee.

He told me about the moment he knew his pub was dying.
That one night after MCO, he was crunching the numbers.
He saw the downtrend. It was gradual but undeniable.

Less people were going to pubs.
Younger generation starting to become health conscious.
Those who want to drink also, scared of police road blocks.
Drinking culture was dying, coffee culture rising.

He started telling his partners it was time to sell.
While the business is still profitable. Nobody listened.
When they finally came around to his point of view,
Business was drowning in six figures of debts.
Best they could do at that stage was just find someone to wipe those debts off.

So, my friend got nothing from 10 years of work.
But he walked away clean. No debts followed him.
Now rebuilding in coffee. Industry on the uptrend.
Free man. No burdens.

This story haunts me because it's about protecting your exit.
One of the most important survival methods in business:
Knowing you CAN walk away. That freedom gives peace of mind.
Lets you make rational decisions. Removes desperation from your choices.

When business owner feels trapped? Struggling to sustain but unable to exit?
Bad decisions multiply. Spiral deepens.

Reflecting on my own experience with the car wash.
I walked in with no exit plan. No walk-away point.
Result - Kept bleeding until nothing left.

My friend? He set his limit.
When partners wouldn't listen, he protected himself.
Lost the profits but kept his freedom.

My new philosophy in business is:
Number 1 - always keep the option of a clean exit open.
Whatever I'm ready to invest, must be something that I can afford to lose.
So that I can walk away anytime without bankruptcy following.
Not because I plan to quit. Because knowing I CAN changes everything.
Removes desperation. Improves decisions. Ironically makes success more likely.

I'm looking for 3 people who understand this.
Who want to build with protected downside.
Who value freedom to exit over being trapped by "sunk costs."
Who see clean exits as smart, not failure.

Ready to build without burning bridges behind you? Fill this form: https://forms.gle/bmQquTWDQAKqfS1c9

Let's build businesses where walking away is always an option.
Because the best deals happen when you're willing to walk.

Always cheering you on Kon

P.S. My friend's old pub? Still struggling under new management. His new coffee venture? Already profitable. Sometimes the best business decision is knowing when to let go. He lost 10 years of profits but gained freedom to build something better.