start from the problem
What's actually going wrong?
Sometimes the hard part isn't doing the work — it's knowing where to start. Pick the sentence closest to what you're feeling right now, and follow the sequence built for it.
“Sales have gone flat and I don’t know why.”
Sales have stalled
Before touching the product, find out where the leak actually is — acquisition, price, or delivery — then fix that one thing.
5-step sequence
“I'm profitable on paper but the bank balance never agrees.”
Cash is always tight
Profit and cash are different animals. Find where your money is stuck before you cut anything or borrow anything.
5-step sequence
“People try me once and I never see them again.”
Customers don't come back
One-time customers are the most expensive kind. Find the exact touchpoint where trust breaks, then make leaving inconvenient.
5-step sequence
“A well-funded competitor could copy my whole business tomorrow.”
A competitor could copy me tomorrow
Find out honestly whether you have a real moat or just a temporary lead, then build the one barrier that would actually hold.
5-step sequence
“I can't find good people, and the ones I hire don't stay.”
Can't find or keep good people
Hiring problems are usually definition problems. Get precise about the role and the culture before blaming the job market.
5-step sequence
“If I take a week off, everything stalls.”
The business doesn't run without me
Founder dependency isn't solved by working harder. It's solved by naming what only you should do, and building people and systems for the rest.
5-step sequence
“I want to grow, but I'm scared of breaking what already works.”
Ready to grow, afraid to break it
Expansion fails when it's a leap of faith. Make it a sequence: prove the model small, then multiply what's proven.
5-step sequence
“I'm busy every single day, but the business isn't actually moving forward.”
Busy all day, no real progress
Busyness and progress are different things. Rebuild your calendar around the one thing that actually compounds.
5-step sequence