I've seen it dozens of times. A company that was once clear becomes confused. Growth stalls. Teams fight over direction. Nobody can explain what makes them different.
Three signs you're lost
- Every meeting is about tactics. Campaigns, features, pricing. Nobody talks about the larger game.
- You describe yourself by what you do, not what you own. "We're a SaaS company" or "We make protein bars." That's a category, not a strategy.
- Competitors set your agenda. You're reacting to their moves instead of making your own.
The first question I ask
When a company calls me, I ask the same thing every time:
"What do you own that nobody else can claim?"
The silence that follows tells me everything. If you can't answer that in 10 seconds, you're lost.
The good news: lost isn't permanent. It's just the starting point.