>>>I will make a note of contacting you (off-line) when the time comes that I won't be able to support my vertical.
>>
>>A bad point in time to start looking. Do it at least 3 years in advance as to not have to bargain under pressure and have more options to make transition a tandem work effort.
>
>All depends how many customers I will still have by the "point" when I need to find a replacement.

Dunno about the type of customers and the typical views they have among each other, but another approach could be to let them participate in a corporation aimed at furthering the software - they are currently in the boat, give them more reason to think actively on staying inside and making the boat faster or unsinkable. Although "too many cooks/chiefs" may introduce other troubles...

Try to think more outside the box if current strategies result in decreasing customer revenue.
While spur of the moment decisions can result in long running biz relations, forcing the decision to be spur of the moment does not ;-)