For those of you able to find your way to the ‘new’ address of my blog www.markkolier.wordpress.com thanks for making the effort.  You can also subscribe by clicking the follow button on the lower right or the feed button also on the right.

Nearly three months ago I had what ended up being my final post on the blog site of the company I founded in 1996 CGSM Inc.    This past summer (ok almost past as it is going to be officially autumn tomorrow although fall may be a better term in my case) I had to close the business.    It is said that life is full of experiences and that the journey is its own reward, but I am not certain I would wish my recent journey on anyone.   The thing that I can tell you unequivocally is that starting a business is infinitely better than closing one – but then you kind of knew that anyway didn’t you?

The reasons for closing my business are not as important as the impact on those around me.  The impact on my former employees – not all of whom have found new jobs, the companies with whom I did business that were affected by my closing the business (some in a big way) and me and my family still resonates on a daily basis and will for quite some time to come.   I did not plan the denouement of my company, it was a somewhat slow motion unraveling that I tried to stave off for as long as I could until it made no sense to continue.    I’ve gained some perspective but not enough to offer much insight at this point in time.

What I have learned is that in sharing the news that I’ve closed a business I’ve received wonderful support from so many people around me that I’ve met over the years.   The confidence in my abilities that they’ve shown has really been heartening and has helped sustain me through some difficult days this summer.

I’ve also learned that there are also people (those that have been impacted financially by the closing) that draw their own conclusions based on the evidence they have and are shall we say, less than understanding.    The state government also appears to not be overly thrilled with my having closed the business even asking me at one point to outline the ways in which I tried to save the business to indicate that I did not close it for my own benefit.   I still have trouble believing that in closing a business for financial reasons you are guilty until proven innocent.

So why blog at all?  I’ve had a great deal of time to think about why I wrote a blog in the first place and if it makes any sense to continue.   What was interesting (and surprising) is that during the period of inactivity my blog reads dropped a bit but not all that much.   I have many things I think about and conversations that I’d like to spark, and as such the main reason I am going to begin regular posting again is to hopefully (upon occasion) make people think twice.

I’ve had friends tell me that I am so personal in my blogging and as I have done in this post, share details of my life and experiences that make me wonder if I am sharing too much.  I think toeing (and crossing) that line is what readers would like to see.   I know that’s why I read other people’s blogs.

So follow along or not.  I’ll always be grateful for any reads and respond to all thoughtful comments.   I’ll share more about my thoughts on closing a business along the way as well as what the journey has taught me.  The learning never ends.   At least I hope not.