You Want to Grow, but Your Business Has Stalled. It’s Time For a Reset

It’s not uncommon as owners set their sites on next-level business growth to experience a sense of deflation. The “high” of going for and achieving the peak in the start-up phase of growth is often a demanding whirlwind of excitement. When the rush dies down there’s often a sense of loss. It’s deflating. The literature on post peak experience let-down finds it can lead to feelings of dissatisfaction.

Often for good reasons.

Limping along or stalling out are signals that aspects of your business plan and people need attention. Things arise that need to be corrected—or adjusted. There are circumstances you could not or did not anticipate during your start-up phase.

Any or all aspects of your fairly new, potentially rapid-growing business may need to be re-evaluated.

Rather than slowing down to reevaluate and reset, many owners try to gut it out. They push forward only to face the same issues in another year, or two, or more.

Eventually, the majority of these businesses become toxic.

They cease to thrive. And data shows that many of them fail. Current statistics show 10% failing in one year and 90% failing within 10 years.

So, having put your heart, soul, and creativity (time, energy, and money, too) into your business venture, it’s important to be smart—to become a wise, long-term—and successful—business owner. This is the time to get your ego out of the way, stall out or not, face the “Second or Third Stage” or next level growth needs. It’s a worthwhile re-evaluation process. Combined with strategic planning and specific action steps it will refine your business.

A lull is an opportunity.

✅ Start with your leadership skills.

This is a fertile time for Executive Coaching. Then, expand the opportunity for growth by involving your team in the re-evaluation.

You and Your People are Your Greatest Business Asset. Preparing for next level, Second and Third-Stage Growth is an opportunity for everyone to become more self-aware and more involved, to communicate openly in safe circumstances, to clarify needs and to innovate pathways to current and future growth—and to do it together.

The goal is to “come together,” bringing everyone’s skills and capabilities, fully focused on the business’s needs.

Just like a mountain climber works with a team to succeed, part of recuperating from a peak experience is to eventually set a frame for the next experience to be worked toward. It may be getting everyone excited and focused on a sprint up another steep mountain. Or it may may be shifting their energy for a long distance run on less steep inclines. But focused on enduring outcomes.

Opening yourself as CEO—as Business Partners, Owners, Founders, Top Executives, and Leaders—to professional growth through Executive Coaching with a Business Development Focus will hone your decision-making. A re-evaluation pause at this stage will ignite growth so you go further, faster.

Then carrying these values throughout your company culture generates loyalty and creativity among all your employees. Others will want to work with you. This in turn will positively impact your revenues.

My best advice is to take any potential discouragement as an opportunity to re-evaluate with an outside perspective.

Having a relationship with a trusted coach, advisor, or consultant is a necessity in any successful business today. This business growth and development phase is one of the joys in my professional life. While re-evaluation can be hard work, it’s also exciting and energizing for those I work with, speeding up their business development.

A pause to reevaluate has long-lasting benefits. In addition to coaching, we typically add opportunities for capability assessments, team conversations, and even two-day Strategic Planning Retreats.

So, when you are coming down from a period of peak achievement, or simply want to take your business up a notch, a reset is good. With changes needed and embraced, decision-making clarified and the alignment of your entire team, new energy will be infused into day-to-day work life. Everyone renewed, refocused.

✅ Here are additional resources to help you better understand your current business lifecycle, what you need to know or do to move to the next phase, and how to achieve success along that journey.

• It starts with testing, but not the type of testing that you may be thinking about: https://loom.ly/dWt0nMk These are Tools To Work Together Better, to Learn About Yourself and to Invest In Your Workforce.
• Then you need a plan and a coach to help you implement steps for success: https://loom.ly/1PYbFL4 Let’s have a complimentary conversation to see how we might partner to meet your next level growth needs and desires. When we work together we will clarify what you want, customize solutions that meet your needs and breathe new life into your future.
• You’ll find resources for Business Owners and Leaders here.