SHUT DOWN PLANNER for Small Businesses: Minimize Risk, Maximize Compliance

SHUT DOWN PLANNER Workbook: Tasks, Timelines, and Communication Scripts

Overview

A practical workbook to guide business owners through an orderly shutdown. Combines task lists, day-by-day timelines, checklists, and ready-to-use communication scripts for stakeholders (employees, customers, vendors, regulators).

What’s inside

• Step-by-step task lists organized by phase: Pre-announcement, Announcement day, 30–90 days before closure, Final operations, Post-closure compliance.
• Timelines with sample 30-, 60-, and 90-day roadmaps you can adopt immediately.
• Checklists for legal, financial, tax, payroll, inventory, contracts, licenses, and data/security actions.
• Communication scripts for: employee meetings, customer notices, vendor negotiations, landlord/leasing, and press statements.
• Templates for letters, emails, FAQ pages, and social posts.
• Risk matrix to prioritize tasks by impact and likelihood.
• Record log to track completed actions, dates, responsible persons, and supporting documents.

Sample 30-day timeline (assumes imminent closure)

• Day 1–2: Finalize decision; document board resolution/owner sign-off; set official closure date.
• Day 3–5: Prepare announcement materials; notify key legal/financial advisors.
• Day 6–10: Announce to employees (hold meeting; provide severance/benefits info); file any required regulatory notices.
• Day 11–15: Notify major customers and vendors; begin winding down new orders; freeze hiring/expansions.
• Day 16–20: Inventory count; begin asset disposition planning; reconcile payroll/taxes.
• Day 21–25: Close customer accounts where appropriate; cancel subscriptions/licenses with notice periods.
• Day 26–30: Final payroll and benefits processing; transfer records to archive; lock down systems and revoke access.

Key checklists (high-level)

• Legal: contracts review, required notices, dissolution filings, retain counsel.
• Financial: final budgets, settle creditors, collect receivables, close bank accounts.
• HR/Payroll: termination notices, final pay, COBRA/benefits administration, unemployment filings.
• Operations: inventory disposition, lease termination, equipment return/sale.
• Compliance/Taxes: final payroll/tax filings, sales/use tax, corporate dissolution forms.
• IT/Security: backup data, remove PII, revoke access, transfer domain/email, archive records.

Communication scripts (short examples)

• Employee announcement (in-person/email): “Today we must share the difficult news that [Company] will cease operations on [date]. We know this is hard. Here are next steps, severance details, benefits timeline, and where to get support…”
• Customer notice (email): “Thank you for your business. We will stop operations on [date]. Orders placed after [cutoff] cannot be fulfilled. For refunds/continuing support, contact [email/phone].”
• Vendor notification (email): “Please be advised that we will terminate purchase orders and close our account as of [date]. Let’s reconcile outstanding invoices by [date] and discuss returns/credit.”
• Public statement (short): “[Company] will close operations on [date]. We’re grateful to our customers and employees. For inquiries, contact [press email].”

Practical tips

• Start documentation early — every decision should be recorded.
• Prioritize statutory requirements (taxes, employment law) to avoid future liability.
• Offer clear, compassionate communications to employees to reduce risk and reputational harm.
• Use a single central tracker (spreadsheet or project tool) with owners and deadlines.

If you want, I can generate: (1) a filled 60-day workbook timeline tailored to a specific business type, (2) editable email and meeting scripts, or (3) a downloadable checklist spreadsheet — tell me which.