Quote, unquote: On learning lessons and leaving with grace

"Our business has always been a fickle one. New management comes in and often wants to bring in their own team members. It can be shocking, particularly if you are being let go just after having completed a successful and lucrative project, or at the end of a record-breaking year. The key is to leave with grace, to remember one's strengths, and to be honest in future interviews about what happened. The reality is that work life under that new management would probably be pretty miserable, so best to move on and see what door opens. It's a great time to make sure that the next step really counts, and to decide whether to continue on the corporate track or start that dream business."

-- Rebecca Darwin, president and CEO of The Allée Group, which owns Garden & Gun magazine, which she started in 2007. She was interviewed by Fast Company and was recalling lessons she learned before G&G, including how to make a classy exit.