How to Save Your Business When Clients Pull Out Suddenly

Today I want to talk about leading a business, something that might sound scary but is actually something many of us do every day. A business is any project or venture designed to reach specific goals, especially making money. This could be your own company, a department you manage at work, or even a side project you are working on. Leading a business means guiding it through good times and bad times to reach success.

My Experience Leading a Business

It is January 2020, and I am walking out of my comfortable office at Deloitte for the last time. My heart is beating fast with excitement as I carry a box of my belongings to my car. I had just quit my secure job to chase a dream – starting 3G Action, my own consulting and coaching business. I felt like a superhero about to save the world, one client at a time.

I had it all figured out in my mind. By December 2020, we would be celebrating our first successful year with food, drinks and big smiles. The contracts were lined up, the business cards were printed, and my confidence was through the roof. What could possibly go wrong?

Then March 2020 happened. COVID-19 swept across the world like a storm nobody saw coming. One by one, I watched our lined-up contracts disappear. The phone stopped ringing. Meetings were cancelled. It felt like I had jumped out of an airplane only to discover there was no parachute in my backpack.

Here I was, a brand-new business owner, watching the entire world shut down. Because we were so new, we did not qualify for any government help programs. The question that kept me awake at night was simple but terrifying: “How do I keep this dream from becoming a nightmare?”

Leadership Moment

Six months into what felt like business quicksand, I realized I had two choices: give up and admit defeat, or dig deeper and find a way to turn this mess into a message of hope. I chose to fight back, but this time with wisdom instead of just wishful thinking.

Looking back, three game-changing discoveries saved our business and taught me lessons worth their weight in gold:

Activity is not the same as getting things done: I was attending every online webinar, sending emails to everyone I knew, and creating content like my life depended on it. I was busy, but I was not being productive. The breakthrough came when I stopped trying to do everything and started asking one simple question: “Will this activity directly help us win clients or serve our existing ones better?” If the answer was no, I stopped doing it. Suddenly, I had more time and energy for the things that actually mattered.

People are where money really comes from: I used to think business was all about having the best website, the fanciest business cards, and the most impressive office. But I learned that while we pay bills with money, people are the bridges that bring that money to us. Every dollar that has ever come into our business came through a relationship with another human being. I started treating every conversation, every phone call, and every meeting as an opportunity to build a genuine connection. This shift from chasing transactions to building relationships changed everything.

Changing direction when needed is smart: My pride almost killed my business. I was so determined to prove I could make it work immediately that I refused to consider other options. But wisdom whispered a hard truth: sometimes you have to take a step back to take two steps forward. I swallowed my pride and took a part-time job to pay my bills while building the business on the side. This decision, which felt like failure at the time, actually gave me the stability and peace of mind I needed to build something sustainable. Today, our success stands on the foundation we built during those humble beginnings.

The truth is, leading a business is not about avoiding storms – it is about learning to dance in the rain. Every challenge you face is not a roadblock but a classroom teaching you lessons you cannot learn anywhere else.

Action Point:

• This week, look at one area of your life where you might be staying busy without actually moving forward. Ask yourself: “Is this activity helping me reach my real goals?” If not, have the courage to change direction and focus on what truly matters.

I’d love to hear what stood out to you in today’s newsletter, feel free to write to me at tom.o@3gaction.com and share your thoughts.

Thanks for reading!