- Growth is flat or chaotic.
- Marketing or sales keep getting blamed.
- The owner is doing too much.
- The team is busy but little improves.
Part of What Is Wrong With My Business?
Business Problems Checklist
Short answer
A business problems checklist should help an owner find the first place to inspect, not create a longer to-do list. Use the checklist to separate symptoms from likely causes, see what has already failed, and decide what to check before spending more money.
Stan helps business owners figure out what is actually wrong and what to fix first.
- what is wrong
- what to fix first
- business diagnosis
- wrong fix
- owner problem
Symptoms
What this usually looks like.
Treat the first symptom as a clue. Find the cause before another fix gets bought.
Likely causes
Where the problem may really live.
The business has not separated symptoms from causes.
Check this before assuming the first explanation is right.
Several fixes were tried in the wrong order.
Check this before assuming the first explanation is right.
No one owns the repeat point.
Check this before assuming the first explanation is right.
The owner is using effort as diagnosis.
Check this before assuming the first explanation is right.
How to diagnose it
What to check before spending more.
- Check sales, offer, follow-up, operations, cash, team ownership, and owner dependency.
- Mark the problem that repeats after fixes.
- Find the cost of waiting one more month.
- Choose one first check.
What to fix first
- Fix the repeating constraint.
- Stop adding fixes to unverified problems.
- Use Business Problem Review when the checklist points to more than one possible cause.
When outside help makes sense
Outside help makes sense when the checklist shows several possible causes and the owner cannot tell which one comes first. Use the review to find the real business problem and stop paying for the wrong fix.
Common questions
Answers for owners.
What should be on a business problems checklist?
A useful checklist should cover sales, offer, marketing, operations, cash, ownership, team behavior, owner dependency, and repeated fixes.
How do I use the checklist?
Use it to decide what to inspect first, not to fix everything at once.
What if several problems show up?
Look for the one problem that keeps creating the others or keeps returning after fixes.
When should I get a Business Problem Review?
Get a review when the checklist shows multiple causes and the owner is still guessing what to fix first.
Related pages
Keep the search inside the right problem.
How To Figure Out What Is Wrong In Your Business
Use this next if that page matches the problem more closely.
Business Stuck
Use this next if that page matches the problem more closely.
Why Is My Business Not Growing?
Use this next if that page matches the problem more closely.
Business Problem Review
Use this next if that page matches the problem more closely.
Next step
If you still do not know what to fix first, start with the review.
Business Problem Review is for owners who need the problem named plainly before another month goes to the wrong fix.
Procrastination, planning, and BLAST
When delay has become the business problem.
Start with the symptom, then use the planning system, glossary term, or Decision Atlas page that matches the pressure.
KnowledgePlanning and Goal-Setting Systems for Business OwnersPlanning works when it names the failure point before choosing the tool. If the target is fuzzy, use SMART. If inputs are scattered, use GTD. If one avoided task controls the day, eat the frog. If attention is broken, use Pomodoro. If the calendar keeps getting stolen, use timeboxing. If a trigger keeps winning, use an implementation intention. If activity lost the outcome, use RPM. If the problem category is unclear, use BLAST first.KnowledgeTop 10 Reasons Businesses Fail and How to Test ThemBusinesses fail because the owner keeps protecting the habit that is killing the company. If the owner cannot delegate, discussion replaces action, or cash discipline is optional, the test is not whether the explanation sounds smart. The test is what breaks when reality touches it.ComparisonPlanning and Goal-Setting Systems for Owners ComparedChoose a planning system by the failure in front of you: clarity, capture, focus, calendar protection, trigger control, outcome map, or pressure classification.Decision AtlasPlanning Systems for OwnersThe owner does not need a prettier productivity identity. The owner needs the planning or goal-setting system that matches the pressure of the decision.