Before closing your business or looking for a new job, answer these 5 questions first.
- Monique Michel
- Jun 5
- 4 min read
Close your business?
Is the crisis in your company… or in your way of working?
Everything seems more difficult than before
For the past few years, many freelancers and small businesses have felt like they are spinning their wheels.
Costs are increasing.
Customers are more hesitant.
The competition is global.
And artificial intelligence sometimes gives the impression that everything is changing too fast.
Faced with this situation, one question often arises:
Should I change careers or simply transform the way I work?
The answer is not always what you imagine.
Before continuing, take 2 minutes to take stock.
Answer the following 5 questions honestly.
There is no right or wrong answer.
The goal is simply to better understand where you stand today.
1. Has your financial situation deteriorated over the past 12 months?
□ Not at all
□ A little
□ A lot
2. Do you feel like you are working as much (or more) than before to earn less?
□ No
□ Sometimes
□ Often
3. Do you spend a large part of your time on administrative, repetitive, or unprofitable tasks?
□ Rarely
□ Regularly
□ Almost every day
4. If you took a week off tomorrow, would your business continue to function properly?
□ Yes
□ Partially
□ No, everything would stop
5. Have you ever considered changing careers, closing your business, or starting over somewhere else?
□ Never
□ Sometimes
□ Very often
Interpret your answers
If your main answer was:
First choice:
Your business appears to be generally healthy.
A few adjustments will probably be enough.
Second choice:
You are probably in a transition phase.
It's time to analyze your organization, your costs, and your working methods.
Third choice:
You may be facing a genuine emergency situation .
Before making a drastic decision, the suggestions presented in this article could help you regain visibility and identify concrete solutions.
Now that you have a better idea of your situation, let's continue together.
Warning signs not to ignore
It might be time to re-evaluate your business if:
Your turnover has been decreasing for several months;
You work the same amount but earn less;
your costs are constantly increasing;
you lose the desire to develop your business;
You spend your time on administrative tasks;
your customers are becoming harder to find;
You no longer have time for strategy.
Attention :
These signals do not necessarily mean that your job is bad.
They may simply indicate that your operating model is no longer suitable for 2026.
Before making any changes, explore these alternatives
Many entrepreneurs immediately think:
I need to change careers.
However, there are often less risky solutions.
Reduce repetitive tasks
How many hours do you spend on:
reply to emails;
create quotes;
organize client files;
schedule appointments;
Should I send follow-up emails?
Automation can often reclaim several hours per week.
Reduce hidden costs
The costs are not solely financial.
Lost time is also a cost.
A self-employed person who loses:
2 hours a day,
10 hours per week,
40 hours per month,
loses almost a full week of work every month.
Review your offer
Sometimes the problem is not the activity.
That's the offer.
Many professionals still sell their time.
But today, customers are looking for more:
results;
solutions;
simplicity;
clear packages.
Can AI help a small entrepreneur?
The answer is yes.
But not in the way social media presents it.
AI isn't going to magically produce customers.
However, it can:
reduce administrative tasks;
drafting;
organize the information;
qualify prospects;
prepare quotes;
automate certain communications;
produce content faster.
AI primarily acts as a digital assistant available 24/7.
Can a well-structured website reduce costs?
Absolutely.
A good website already answers many questions before the prospect even contacts you.
He can:
present your services;
filter out unnecessary requests;
collect information automatically;
allow appointments to be made;
to reassure the visitor.
Less time wasted.
Fewer unnecessary exchanges.
More qualified leads.
AI agents: a luxury reserved for large companies?
Not at all.
Today, an independent contractor can implement AI agents capable of:
classify emails;
create customer records;
generate tasks;
to feed a CRM;
prepare summaries;
follow up with prospects.
The goal is not to replace humans.
The goal is to free up time for high value-added activities.
Steps to take action
Before making a drastic decision:
Step 1
Analyze your spending.
Step 2
Identify the repetitive tasks.
Step 3
Automate what can be automated.
Step 4
Simplify your offers.
Step 5
Optimize your online visibility.
Step 6
Measure the results over three to six months.
Only then, ask yourself the question:
Is it really my job that's no longer working?
Should I change careers?
Sometimes yes.
But in many cases, the problem is not the job itself.
The problem is that the company is still operating as it did in 2018, whereas...
The market is already in 2026.
Before starting from scratch, it may be more cost-effective to:
modernize its tools;
simplify its organization;
automate certain tasks;
improve your website;
to use artificial intelligence intelligently.
Because perhaps the real question is not:
Should I change careers?
But rather:
Has my business become obsolete… or is it simply my way of working that needs to evolve?
