It can be hard when your business feels stuck. You may feel like you’re not making any progress, and you don’t know how to get unstuck. But there are ways to get your business moving again, even when it seems like it’s stuck. As a Business Coach, the biggest frustration for business owners is usually not knowing how they become stuck, and therefore how to get through it. You might be feeling like business was going along just fine, until it wasn’t.
When you feel stuck in business it is important to get clear about what the problem is and how to fix it. I wish more business owners would do this before giving up their business, or completely pivoting their business model. Without fully understanding the mistakes and challenges that have occurred to get you where you are now, you at a very high risk of repeating them.
What Causes Businesses To Feel Stuck?
There are a number of reasons why your business feels stuck. When you are stuck in business it can be difficult to untangle just how you got where you are. Here are five things to consider when you are feeling that dreaded stuck feeling in your business.
- You’re not moving forward with the plans that you had when you started your business.
- You’re not generating the revenue that you thought you would.
- You’re feeling overwhelmed and you don’t know where to start.
- You’re trying too many different things to get business jump started.
- You’re not doing anything to keep your business going.
When you start your business you an experience short bursts of quick wins. However these become harder to come by if your business foundations are not solid. You may find yourself in a battle with the same obstacles over and over again. This is because you might not have clarity around some key business elements. These are often overlooked, but become more important as a business grows.
What are the key foundational elements in business?
Knowing why you are in business
There are a number of reasons why it’s important to know why you’re in business. First, if you don’t have a clear purpose for your business, it can be difficult to set goals and make progress. Second, without a clear purpose, it can be easy to get sidetracked and pursue activities that aren’t aligned with your goals. Finally, having a clear purpose can help you attract and retain customers and employees who share your values.
Knowing and understanding your target market and their problems
If you don’t know who your target market is or what their problems are, it can be difficult to get your business moving again. Knowing your target market helps you focus your goals and activities, and understanding their problems helps you develop solutions that address their needs. By taking the time to understand your target market and their problems, you can develop a clear plan for getting your business moving again.
Knowing how your product solves the problems of your target market
By taking the time to understand the needs of your target market, you will to be able to develop a relationship with your audience. You will be able to speak to them using language they can relate to, imagery that draws their attention and develop trust. Having an in depth understanding of your target audience is how you will attract and retain customers who are interested in what you have to offer.
Having a clear brand identity
A brand identity is a clear understanding of the persona of your brand. It is how you want the market to perceive your brand. When developing your brand identity, it’s important to consider what makes your business unique and what values you want to communicate to your customers. Once you have a clear brand identity, you can use it to guide all of your marketing and advertising efforts, and attract the right customers to your business.
Knowing your unique selling point
Your unique selling point is what sets you apart from your competition and attracts customers to your business. Without a strong unique selling point, it can be difficult to get your business moving in the right direction. When developing your unique selling point, it’s important to consider what makes your business unique and what values you want to communicate to your customers. Once you have a clear unique selling point, you can use it to guide all of your marketing and advertising efforts, and attract the right customers to your business.
Knowing your business key metrics
It’s important to consider what numbers are most important to your business and how you can track them. Once you have a clear understanding of your key metrics, you can use them to guide all of your decision-making and attract the right customers to your business.
Understanding your financials
It’s important to consider where your money is coming from and going to. Once you have a clear understanding of your financials, you can use them to guide all of your decision-making and attract the right customers to your business.
When Your Business Feels Stuck, Here are 5 Ways To Get Your Business Moving Again
1. Take stock of where you are and where you want to be.
It’s important to take stock of where your business is and where you want it to be. This will help you focus on the goals that your business should be pursuing. Having a clear understanding of your current situation and your goals will help you make better decisions about how to move forward. Consider what makes your business unique and what values you want to communicate to your customers. Use this information to guide all of your marketing and advertising efforts, and attract the right customers to your business.
2. Create a plan of action that will help you to reach your business goals.
This will help you to stay organized, and stay focused on what needs to be done.
Creating a plan of action is essential to reaching your business goals. This plan will help you stay organized and focused on what needs to be done in order to achieve success. Begin by identifying your unique selling point and use it to guide your marketing and advertising efforts. Then, take stock of your key business metrics and use them to inform your decision-making. Finally, understand your financial situation and use this information to attract the right investors and customers to your business. By taking these steps, you will be well on your way to moving your business forward.
3. Set realistic expectations for yourself and for your team.
It’s important to set realistic expectations for yourself and for your team. If you expect too much too soon, you’ll only end up stressing yourself out and sabotaging your progress. Take things one step at a time, and trust that your team will be able to handle whatever challenge you’re facing. By setting realistic expectations, you’ll be able to stay calm and focused, and you’ll be more likely to achieve success.
4. Be honest with yourself about what’s stopping you from moving forward, and figure out a way to address those issues head-on.
If you want to move your business forward, you need to be honest with yourself about what’s holding you back. Take a close look at your business and identify any areas that need improvement. Then, figure out a way to address those issues head-on. This may mean making some changes to your business model or the way you operate. However, if you’re honest with yourself and willing to make some changes, you’ll be able to get your business moving again.
5. Celebrate your successes, and learn from your failures.
It’s important to celebrate your successes and learn from your failures. The lessons you learn during difficult times can help you build a stronger business in the future. When things are going well, take the time to enjoy your success and reflect on what you’ve done right. Then, when things get tough, use those lessons to help you get through the tough times. By celebrating your successes and learning from your failures, you’ll be able to build a stronger, more resilient business.
Whatever the reason, it can be hard to get your business moving again. But there are ways to get unstuck.
What If I Don’t Know Where To Start So I Don’t Feel Stuck in Business?
Don’t worry. There are a number of resources available to help you get unstuck. You can consult with a business consultant, read business books, or talk to other business owners. When your business feels stuck it is important to remember that it doesn’t have to stay that way.
The key to getting your business unstuck is to step back and think about how you got stuck.
What If I’m Feeling Overwhelmed?
Take some time for yourself. Schedule a break to do something that you enjoy. This will help you to refocus and come back with fresh ideas. As a business owner, feeling overwhelmed happens often. Especially to solopreneurs because you are responsible for everything in your business. Make sure to take some time for yourself and relax.
What If I Can’t Afford To Make Changes?
Sometimes making changes is not possible, but that doesn’t mean you can’t try. There are many ways to generate revenue without making any big changes. You can explore new marketing channels, find new partners, or change your pricing strategy. It’s important to experiment and see what works best for your business.
What If I Don’t Know What My Goals Are?
Establish clear goals for your business. This will help you to stay focused and motivated. You can also use goal-setting techniques like SMART goals or the 5 whys technique. If you don’t know where you are headed and have clarity around your vision your business can feel stuck.
What If My Business Plan Isn’t Working?
If your business plan isn’t working, it may be time to consider some changes. However, before making any drastic changes, it’s important to understand the root cause of the business feeling stuck.
While we are talking about your business plan, let me ask you a question….do you have one? And if so, are you regularly reviewing it, updating it, referring to it?
It may be that you’re not taking advantage of all the opportunities that are available to you. It could also be that you’re not marketing your business aggressively enough or you’re not investing in the right resources. If you can identify and fix these issues, your business will start moving forward again.
Revise your business plan if necessary. This will help you to identify which areas of your business need more attention and which ones are generating the most revenue.
What If My Business Isn’t Moving Forward As Planned?
If you are feeling stuck in your business, it may be time to look at what is preventing it from moving forward as planned. There could be many reasons why your business isn’t moving forward as planned, but here are a few possible causes:
Inability to attract and retain customers
If you are not attracting new customers or losing customers that you already have, this could be a sign that your marketing strategy isn’t effective. If you can’t seem to get people interested in what you have to offer, then there may be some areas of your business that need improvement.
Lack of innovation
If you aren’t creating new products or services that can compete with the competition, then your business may not be growing fast enough to stay afloat. It’s important to stay ahead of the curve so that customers know there is something new and exciting out there on the market.
Not pricing your goods and services correctly
Pricing your goods and services correctly is essential for any business. If you’re not setting prices that will make money while also satisfying your customer’s needs, then it may be time to revisit those prices. Overpriced goods will likely lead to decreased sales, and underpriced goods may not cover the costs of production.
Not managing expenses
If you’re spending more money than you’re making, then it’s time to make some changes. Maintaining a healthy budget can help you stay afloat while you work on getting your business moving again.
When you business feels stuck it is usually the solopreneur that will feel the impact of this the most. This is because as the one doing all the work, it is hard not to blame your self for driving your business down that dead end road. But being stuck in business is more common than you think. That is because most business owners who feel stuck in business aren’t considering that the trajectory of business growth and success is not a straight line upward. Business – any and all business – will go through periods of peaks and troughs.
If you aren’t seeing the profits you want to see it can definitely make you feel stuck in business.
So never be too harsh on yourself when you feel stuck in business. Accept it as your opportunity to learn and grow as a business owner. I like to think of it as the end of one stage of business and the start of the next. Business is a series of iterations that you can either embrace or fight against. One thing I know to be true is that nothing can and should stay the same.
Today I am going to leave you with some words from the song Stuck by Norah Jones. Maybe they will hit the spot about how you are feeling about being stuck in business.
I just lost the plot
Got a little caught
In a little knot
I just hit a wall
Had a little fall
Felt the swinging wrecking ball
And why should that be
Fempreneur Online
A 6 week business transformation. Get clear on your business foundations so you can maximise your success
