What's stopping you?

What's holding you back?

I love looking at business problems using the handbrake and the accelerator metaphor.

The handbrake - the obstacles or challenges that prevent a business from solving problems, moving forward, and achieving goals.

The accelerator - anything that propels a business forwards.

At this point, here is an important reminder: sometimes, to move forward, we must first stick it in reverse. You can't overcome certain obstacles, no matter how much jandle, thong, fip-flop or welly you give it.

You need to remove the handbrake before you can move forward. Otherwise, you'll just be sitting like a lemon, making lots of noise, looking like an arse, and not going anywhere.

So often, I see businesses trying to move forward but still need to identify what is stopping them.

It can and usually does result in wasted effort and resources.

There are several common issues for the handbrake.

• Lack of a clear business strategy
• Lack of a clear vision
• Lack of a clear value proposition
• Lack of a clear brand positioning
• Poor market understanding
• Poor audience understanding
• Low brand salience (coming top of mind / unprompted awareness)
• Poor distribution - too hard to find
• Bad pricing - poor value
• Lack of brand appeal
• Lack of desire for what you sell
• Inconsistent messaging
• Inadequate financial resources
• Bad data management
• Bad internal communications
• Working in silos
• Poor leadership

It pays to release the handbrake before you give it some welly!