Saying Goodbye to Your Business: Former Business Owner Derek Brown on What to Expect When You Leave Your Company

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headshot of derek brownThis week Carrie is joined by Derek Brown, former co-owner of WideNet Consulting, on what it’s like to leave the business you’ve built. Derek and Carrie dive into the beginnings of both of Derek’s former businesses, and talk through why one ultimately thrived and is still in business today. Derek tells us what made him decide to leave the business he co-founded, and gives us some insight on how to make a business split a little less traumatic. Derek and Carrie discuss the importance of networking and social capital, and Derek names some great networking organizations to join. Derek and Carrie then touch on the possibility of forcibly losing a business during this global health crisis, how Derek’s business survived the recession of 2008, and what Derek thinks it will take for a business to survive this new kind of crisis. They wrap up the conversation with what businesses can do during this strange interim.

Mentioned in this episode: 

Ken Chapman & Associates 

WideNet Consulting LLC 

Church Street Coffee and Books 

Andy Echols, CPA 

Rotary

Kiwanis

Junior League of Birmingham 

Lions Club

Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce 

Urban Dictionary

Infomedia

About Carrie

Carrie Rollwagen is host of the Localist podcast and cofounder of Church Street Coffee & Books. Currently, she works as Vice President of Strategic Planning at Infomedia, a web development company in Birmingham, Alabama. Find the Localist at @thinklocalist on Instagram and follow Carrie at @crollwagen.

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