Listen to Your Angel: Coping With Business Failure and Despair

I was in church recently for Sunday mass, and one of the readings struck home with me. After nearly 3,000 years, humans have not changed much, both in how we experience despair and in how we find hope. That truth is worth sitting with, especially for anyone coping with business failure or the fear of it.

The reading was the 9th-century BCE story of the Prophet Elijah, who had grown tired and deeply depressed about his lot in life. He lay down and asked God to let him die. As I sat there, I thought about the somewhat lesser-reported epidemics of suicide, alcohol abuse, and substance abuse that have contributed to a recent decline in life expectancy, on top of the impact of COVID.

The numbers behind deaths of despair

The figures are stunning: roughly 50,000 suicides, 100,000 alcohol-related deaths, and 50,000 overdose deaths each year in the United States. And those numbers do not include everyone who attempted suicide or survived an overdose. These were not deaths of misfortune. They were deaths in response to misfortune, deaths of despair. That despair may follow family strife, unemployment, or a failing business.

We are surrounded by angels

In the reading, God sent Elijah an angel who fed him and encouraged him to continue his journey. I believe that is just as true today. We are all surrounded by angels.

Your angels may be your faith, your spouse, your family, your friends, a local counseling agency, or even your business advisors. The point is that help is closer than it feels in the dark moments.

These were not deaths of misfortune, but instead deaths in response to misfortune, of despair.

What I tell owners on the brink

I have worked with many business owners whose companies were about to collapse or already had. I take great pains to remind them of what is good in their lives, their family, their health. I remind them of the old saying, “this too shall pass.” While this day may be dark, there will be many sunny days ahead, but only if they continue their journey.

Sometimes continuing the journey means walking away. I once had a business owner tell me the best advice he had ever received was from me, telling him to close down his business and move on with his life. That is often the hardest and healthiest call an owner can make. When a company reaches that point, honest turnaround guidance and a clear-eyed conversation about exit and sale preparation can turn a moment of collapse into an orderly next chapter.

Remember: if for whatever reason you fall into despair, you will be best served to listen to your angels.