How to Negotiate Yourself Into Failure

A Case Study in Business Self-Sabotage

Every investor, entrepreneur, and turnaround specialist has experienced this: watching a business owner actively work against their own success.

There is nothing more frustrating than seeing a failing business, a perfect solution, and an owner who refuses to act.

It's maddening. You step in, assess the problems, and build a solution that removes risk, guarantees upside, and gives the owner everything they could possibly want. You bring the best deal they will ever see—a deal that secures their future, saves their business, and rewards them financially far beyond what they deserve.

And then, they fight it.

Not because the deal is bad. Not because they have a better alternative. Not even because they want to keep running the business.

They fight because they cannot accept reality.

This is the story of one such business. It's a case study in self-sabotage, denial, and the high cost of inaction. It's a lesson for every business owner, investor, and dealmaker—because if you think this couldn’t happen to you, you are already at risk.

I've spent most of my career in business frustrated by clients and partners that won't take the action that will save them, because they refuse to see it.

A friend asked me to help their friend, who was struggling. So I did. It was a fun solve, and some of the best work I've ever delivered.

Watching them fail when they didn't have to... was painful.

The Industry: Three Years of Growth, Three Years of Decline

Over the last three years, the industry was thriving.

• 2022: 12% market growth.
• 2023: 14% market growth.
• 2024: 16% market growth.

The industry was booming. Demand was surging. Businesses that executed well were thriving.

This business? It was in freefall.

• 2022: Revenue down 50%.
• 2023: Revenue down another 50%.
• 2024: Another 50% decline.

This wasn’t a rough patch. This was a death spiral.

When competitors were growing, they were shrinking. When market demand was increasing, they were actively losing customers.

They were not a victim of the economy. They were not a victim of supply chain issues. They were not a victim of anything other than their own inability to lead.

And yet, the owner believed none of this was their fault.

Instead of recognizing their own failure, they blamed everything except themselves.

The Business: A Legacy in Decay

This was not a struggling startup. This was an established, recognizable brand with decades of history. They had:

✔ A strong customer base.
✔ A prime location.
✔ A fully built-out infrastructure.
✔ A business that had been profitable for years.

Yet, despite all these advantages, they were losing.

Why?

Because they refused to execute.

• They had no marketing strategy.
• They had no customer engagement plan.
• They had no leadership development.
• They had no urgency.

When the market changed, they did nothing.

When their numbers fell, they blamed the economy.

When customers left, they said it was just a phase.

When employees quit, they said it was a loyalty problem.

Every signal was flashing red.

And they ignored them all.

The Offer: A Golden Ticket Out

Most acquisitions are brutal. The buyer wants the lowest price, the seller wants the highest valuation, and the deal ends in a fight.

This was not one of those deals.

The offer was structured to be entirely in the owner’s favour.

✔ Valuation—twice the actual market worth.
✔ Full ownership retention—no forced exit.
✔ Guaranteed financial security—paid before anyone else.
✔ No risk, no effort—operations taken over entirely.
✔ A structured transition—walk away at any time, on their terms.
✔ Investors ready with cash when the turnaround proved out.

It was, in every sense, a gift.

And yet, they stalled.

They delayed.

They avoided.

They did everything possible to prevent their own success.

The Excuses: How to Avoid Making a Good Decision

This is where the true frustration begins.

If someone tells me, "I don’t want to do this deal," I respect that.

If they say, "I have a better option," I respect that.

What I cannot respect is excuses.

They weren’t making a decision. They were making excuses.

They weren’t negotiating. They were stalling.

And every day they delayed, they lost more.

The Self-Sabotage: How to Destroy Your Own Exit

This is how business owners negotiate against themselves:

1. Ignore the Problem Until It Becomes a Crisis

Instead of fixing the business when revenue first started falling, they waited.
Instead of addressing customer loss, they blamed the market.
Instead of seeking help, they assumed things would get better on their own.

By the time they acknowledged the decline, they had already lost too much.

2. Delay Until the Business Loses More Value

Every day they waited:
❌ More customers left.
❌ More market share was taken by competitors.
❌ More employees quit.

They were burning value while fighting against what could save them.

3. Reject the Best Offer You’ll Ever Get

They were offered $8M for a business worth $4M.
They believed they would get even more.
They didn’t.

4. End Up With No Leverage and No Options

Eventually, reality catches up.

They were forced to sell.
But now, the business was worth less.

Had they signed earlier, they would have:
✅ Kept ownership.
✅ Locked in a higher valuation.
✅ Controlled the narrative of their exit.

Instead, they lost everything they were trying to protect.

The Hard Truth: Some People Choose to Lose

This is the painful reality:

Some business owners are beyond saving.

You can:
✅ Show them the numbers.
✅ Give them the best possible deal.
✅ Remove every obstacle in their way.

And they will still sabotage themselves.

Why?

Because accepting help means admitting they aren’t as good as they thought they were.

Because they would rather hold on to a failing business than admit they failed.

Because they think waiting will make the problem go away.

It won’t.

It never does.

The Final Lesson: Take the Deal Before It’s Gone

This case study is a warning.

Every year, businesses fail—not because the market forces them to, but because owners refuse to act.

They stall. They negotiate against themselves. They wait until it’s too late.

And then, when reality forces them to act?

They get the worst possible deal.

By the time they realize they should have listened, there isn't a business left at all.

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Thanks!

B

Proconsul 🇨🇦 (@proconsul.bsky.social)

Visionary Strategic Growth A guide for ambition, bridging strategy with implementation for modern business - clarity, structure, and sustainable impact. I listen. If it’s possible, I’ll show you how. proconsul.ghost.io

Bluesky Social

The industry grew double digits every year. Their business lost 50% every year. I built a deal to save them—zero risk, full ownership, double valuation. They stalled, delayed, fought against it. By the time reality hit, the deal was gone. You don’t get the deal you deserve. You get the deal you execute.

PS -