Geof Harries

I've been working in my new job for about eight months. I've really enjoyed the stuff we've been doing and are about to start shipping. Additionally, I get to work with some pretty awesome people in and outside of the government. All in all, it's been a very good change for me and my family.

What's been a struggle, though is what I often have to do in the evenings and on the weekends: the work to shut down Subvert. The company still has to live on for various reasons, but I'm trying to get it to a minimal state so it costs next to nothing (the ideal state would of course be free and unattached) and just sits there, operating in its most basic and efficient form.

It's really hard to understand until you go through the process, how many financial and contractual leaks you have to plug and taps you have to turn off when shutting down a business that's been in operation for nearly a decade. Sometimes I think I've got them all mapped out and identified, but then along sneaks up something else that requires yet another exit plan.

From turning off monthly subscriptions to getting out of service contracts to paying off agreements and finding other agencies or developers to take over our clients, it's a ton to work through and figure out. If only there was a way for me to go back in time and tell my former self to be smarter and plan for the exit right from the very beginning; something I'll tell my kids if they ever decide to start a business of their own.