š“277. The Hidden Power of Quitting feat. Alan Weiss (Weekend Rewind)


This week on Talk the Walk, Alan and I riff on quittingāfiring clients, pausing projects, and stopping things that technically āworkā but donāt work for you anymore. We dig into ego, sunk-cost traps, scope creep, and how to communicate a graceful stop without burning bridges. Alan shares a simple pre-flight test to help you avoid quitting later by deciding smarter upfront.
In this episode
- Why ādonāt be a quitterā is terrible advice for grown-ups with goals
- Alanās 5 When-Not-to-Start filters (my new decision cheat sheet)
- Preventing scope creep with pragmatic curiosity (ask before you say yes)
- Temporary quits, partial quits, and getting help to stop
- Feedback without pity: choosing truth-tellers and being one
- Sunk costs vs. smart experiments (market first, build later)
- How to cancel or pause publicly without drama (and keep goodwill)
- What consultants should quit immediately (hello, time-sink social!)
- Raising value before raising fees (Peloton did this well)
- The monkey bars analogy: you canāt reach out unless you let go
My takeaways
- Ask a better first question: not āCan I help?ā (always yes), but āWhatās in it for meālearning, growth, low labor, fair revenue?ā
- Five red flags = donāt start: low interest, little learning, no growth path, poor revenue, excessive labor.
- Curiosity saves you later: clarify sites, scope, timelines, decision rights before you commit.
- Quitting can be temporary: pausing ā failing. Partial stops count.
- Truth > cheerleading: select 2ā3 people whoāve proven theyāll tell you the truth.
- Market ā then make: sell the outcome, then build the content once you have critical mass.
- Value drives fees: explain the added value before you adjust price.
Favorite moments & quotables
- āIf you never let go, youāll never reach out.ā (Monkey bars!)
- āItās better to ask when not to start than wonder when to stop.ā
- āThe way to be successful isnāt to raise feesāitās to raise value.ā
- āBe empathetic with feedback, never pitying.ā
Tiny scripts you can steal
- After you blurted āyesā: āOn reflection, Iām not the right person for you. I can suggest the kind of expert whoād be a better fit.ā
- Cancelling with class: āWe donāt have critical mass for the learning dynamic. I wonāt waste your timeāIāll let you know if we reschedule.ā
Shout-outs & references
- Hugh Jackman (Alanās NYC weekend plans!)
- Pelotonās price-rise email framed through added value
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