Strategic thinking starts with one simple question: What’s stopping me?

Did you know... there's a "Strategic Bottleneck Audit" technique that helps small businesses stop trying to fix everything at once?

Here's what I see consistently: Small business owners get caught up making decisions based on what's happening this month instead of where they want to be next year.

But everything starts with strategy - and strategy starts with knowing exactly where you're headed. As an entrepreneur, it's up to you to step back and make those bigger-picture decisions that will shape your business future.

One of these key strategic decisions is identifying what's actually limiting your growth.

The Strategic Bottleneck Audit:

Step 1: The Growth Constraint Inventory
List everything that's currently limiting your business growth:

Time constraints
Money/cash flow issues
Team capacity
Systems/processes
Market reach
Product limitations

Step 2: The Bottleneck Test
For each constraint, ask: "If I solved only this problem, what would happen to my business in 90 days?" The constraint with the biggest potential impact is your strategic bottleneck.

Step 3: The 90-Day Strategic Focus
Put your primary strategic energy into solving just this one bottleneck while maintaining regular operations. By removing your biggest growth barrier in 90 days, you create momentum toward your 12-month vision and clear the path for your next strategic move.

Ready to get your strategic juices flowing?
□ Complete your growth constraint inventory this week
□ Identify your #1 strategic bottleneck using the 90-day test
□ Design one specific action to address it
□ Block out weekly time to work on your bottleneck specifically

Strategic clarity transforms uncertainty into actionable direction. The businesses that grow consistently aren't just working harder - they're working on the right constraint.

What bottleneck do you think is limiting your growth?