@Ian Kirk really — a decision, but not the one you'd expect. No slow month for me; I was busy and comfortable, which is why there was no trigger for years. What moved me was building other people's value and getting none of the credit, and realising money wasn't going to be the reason either way. I wanted to own the outcome, not just do the work. And that's exactly how you land in the trap you described. Conviction gets you out the door; it doesn't bring you clients. The pipeline turned out to be a separate decision — a much less romantic one — and the harder of the two.