When the fall is all that's left, it matters a great deal.

Prime Future 202: the newsletter for innovators in livestock, meat, and dairy

There was this storyline in the tv show West Wing where President Bartlet did not disclose his MS diagnosis during the presidential election. The secret came out while he was in office, and a congressional investigation followed.

When the investigation was wrapping up and President Bartlet was about to be censured, one of his close advisors, Toby, reminded Bartlet of a scene from his favorite movie where 2 characters find themselves in a tough spot:

Character A tells B "not to cower but to take it like men."

Character B replies, "You fool, as if it matters how a man falls down."

And Character A corrects him, "When the fall is all that's left, it matters a great deal."

When the fall is all that's left for a venture, how it winds down matters a great deal.

Last week, we talked about Cooks Venture, including how disorganized the shut-down process was, leaving their farmer suppliers in the lurch. The chaos had real financial consequences for real farmers.

So today, I want to share a few thoughts on this not-so-fun topic of shutting a company down, both making the decision itself and some practical ways to maintain integrity in the shutdown process.