The Power of You: Ways To Go From Stuck to Unstoppable in Small Business

Have you ever said, "I don’t like where I am in my business," "I feel like I haven’t really achieved what I thought I would have by now," or, "I’m always tired, and I’m really stressed all the time?" These days, many of us in small business want to have more energy, jump out of bed every day, and hit big goals, but the reality is we get stuck in overwhelm and doubt.

There used to be a game called ‘stuck in the mud’. You’d run around until one of the other players was tagged, becoming ‘stuck in the mud’ until a friend crawled through everyone’s legs to set the person free. If only becoming ‘unstuck’ were that easy as an adult. Sometimes, it feels more like quicksand. You don’t just feel stuck; you feel like you’re sinking deeper and deeper, unsure how to save yourself.

If you’re feeling stuck, the first step is a conversation. An honest one – with yourself.

Honesty Is The Best Policy

Having a chat with yourself allows you to check where you’re at and where you want to be. Is your cash flow a concern? Do you feel like, "I’m constantly hustling, paying everyone else but myself, and I feel like I am not getting anywhere?" Momentum comes from honest moments. Times where you are not making excuses, but really looking deeply at your direction and what got you to this point. This is the first small (but big) step to get the ball rolling on change.

Release the Handbrakes

Imagine you’re driving a car with five handbrakes on. A car with the handbrake engaged can still move, but it’s not optimal. It groans and resists, lurching forward reluctantly. But, when you finally remember to release the handbrake, the change is immediate. Suddenly, you feel like you can do anything and go anywhere because you’ve gained momentum. Small business owners work the same way. We’re often held back by Handbrake Habits. If we can unlock just one of those, our business begins to move. It might be slow, but it will start to gain momentum. The more speed you get by making small changes – reviewing your finances, improving your customer service, fine-tuning your marketing – the more other handbrakes start to get unstuck, allowing you to move faster and more efficiently.

Focus on Impact

Instead of focusing on several things at once, focus on one thing that will give you the most significant impact. Then commit to doing that one thing first. Meet yourself where you are right now. Look at the five business habits you’re already doing – goal setting, planning, sales, marketing, and delivery – and see where you can make minor adjustments to set yourself on the path to a more sustainable sales process.

You could already be doing one or two of them well. You might nail your social media marketing, but not convert like you used to. Maybe you need to pay more attention to your numbers, focusing on the quality of your content, rather than how often you post.

Simple Changes, Big Impact

One small change could be regular times to review your business plan and goals. See how much clearer your direction feels once you start doing this, and you might find you’re not as overwhelmed. And just like that, you’ve released one of the handbrakes holding you back.

Invest in Yourself

Don’t feel guilty about investing in yourself. Does the thought of investing in yourself, either with time or money, make you worry that you’re being selfish? Do you think about all the other things you should be doing and buying for other people, constantly putting yourself and your needs last? This is a common feeling, especially among small business owners, who often prioritise their clients, employees, and business over their own well-being.

Moving from Stuck to Unstoppable

When you don’t have a purpose, or you lose it, you may experience an existential crisis – the ultimate sense of being stuck! How do you uncover your sense of purpose: try these steps:?

• Review your goals: Could you set aside just one hour each week to review and update your business goals?
• Streamline your processes: Could you identify one process that could be made more efficient?
• Improve customer engagement: Would you be prepared to spend a few minutes each day engaging with your customers on social media or through emails?
• Track your finances: Are you regularly tracking your income and expenses, or is this an area that needs more attention?

Steps to Unstoppable

• Uncover and own your why, purpose, values, and beliefs.
• Identify where and why you’re stuck.
• Define what unstuck looks and feels like for you.
• Design your unstoppable business.
• Create a plan and crush it!

Owning where you are at this exact moment and why you got here is incredibly powerful and empowering. It’s the first step in moving from stuck to unstoppable, and it’s the hardest step.

Once you’ve defined what unstuck looks like for you, you can move from unstuck to unstoppable, which is a much more subtle transition. It can only be actioned once your daily business habits are solidified in your routine. Remember, moving to the performance and optimisation zone is about taking those business habits and tweaking them, 1 percent at a time, to gain the edge to live an unstoppable life where your imagination becomes the only limiting factor.