Feeling Stuck? Six Ways to Move Past Business Stagnation
How to Get Unstuck when You’re Building Your Business
We've all been there.
That sinking feeling in your stomach when you realize your business growth has flatlined. Your revenue isn't growing, your audience seems stagnant, and you're wondering if you've hit some invisible ceiling you can't break through.
Feeling stuck in our businesses can be frustrating and overwhelming.
Especially when we have so many goals we want to achieve and the clock just keeps ticking.
I totally understand. I remember staring at my analytics one day, seeing the same numbers I'd been seeing for months, and wondering if I was ever going to move past this plateau. It felt like quicksand – the harder I worked, the more stuck I became.
In this blog post, I'm sharing six battle-tested strategies that I've personally used (and seen work for lots of other entrepreneurs) that I hope will help you bust through those roadblocks and get back in the groove.
01. Reflect and Realign: Reconnect With Your Why
First of all, take a minute. No, seriously. Stop what you're doing right now. Close your eyes and breathe.
Sit with your business vision and values. Ask yourself, "Am I still aligned with that mission I started with?"
Has your business evolved into something you no longer recognize? Are you chasing revenue at the expense of what actually lights you up? Or maybe you've drifted so far from your core offerings that you've lost sight of what made your business special in the first place.
Trust me, I've been there too, questioning my path. Or, just frustrated that it's taking longer than my wide-eyed optimism hoped for at the beginning of my journey. Realigning your focus and energy to what truly matters will bring clarity back to your biz goals.
Sometimes stagnation is actually your intuition trying to tell you something isn't working anymore. Maybe that signature service you've been offering for years doesn't excite you. Maybe your ideal client has evolved. Maybe YOU have evolved.
And that's okay.
Give yourself permission to pivot, to refine, to completely reinvent if necessary. The most successful businesses aren't the ones that stick rigidly to their original plan – they're the ones that stay connected to their core values while adapting to what their audience actually needs.
Need help?
Gain clarity on your core values - download your free worksheet here:
02. Seek Inspiration
Think about this: You're enjoying your morning coffee while reading an amazing book or listening to an inspiring podcast. These are the times when great ideas pop up! Not when you're staring at a blank screen for the fifteenth hour straight, willing brilliance to appear.
Make sure to surround yourself with inspiration - for example, spend time with people who inspire you. Get involved in groups where you can share ideas with other entrepreneurs. Always look for inspiration around you. For me, nature does the trick. Go outside, hug a tree, and enjoy the way sunlight plays through the leaves.
But here's the hard truth – inspiration isn't just going to magically find you while you're knee-deep in client emails or troubleshooting website issues. You have to intentionally create space for it.
When was the last time you:
Read a book completely unrelated to business?
Visited a museum or art gallery?
Had a conversation with someone in a totally different industry?
Took yourself on a solo date to a new restaurant?
Creative stagnation happens when we only consume content in our own industry bubble. We end up regurgitating the same ideas over and over. Break out of that pattern by cross-pollinating your inspiration sources.
Some of my biggest business breakthroughs came when I was completely unplugged from "business mode" – like that time I restructured my entire service suite after visiting a botanical garden and realizing how beautifully everything was organized into distinct but complementary zones.
03. Take a Break: Permission to Pause and Recharge
You don't have to constantly hustle.
Read that again.
You don't have to constantly hustle.
The cult of productivity has convinced us that if we're not working, we're failing. But the truth? Your best work never comes from a burned-out brain.
Feeling overwhelmed, and like you just cannot tackle another thing today?
Then don't.
Shut your laptop, walk out the door, and go give yourself some breathing room. Take a walk in nature, grab lunch at a new neighborhood spot, volunteer to pick up litter at the beach, or go roam the aisles of Target.
Do something that gets you out of your head and reconnects you with yourself.
I've found that business stagnation is often a symptom of entrepreneur burnout. Your creative well has run dry, your strategic thinking is clouded, and you're trying to solve problems with a brain that desperately needs rest.
The most productive thing you can do sometimes is absolutely nothing related to your business. Take a proper weekend. Schedule a staycation. Set an out-of-office for a full week and mean it.
Rest isn't a reward for productivity. It's a non-negotiable prerequisite for it.
04. Break It Down
Breathe.
Feeling overwhelmed with the mountain of tasks?
Break it down!
Take those big, audacious goals and slice them into bite-sized, doable chunks.
That business stagnation you're feeling? It's often because you're trying to solve a massive, complex problem all at once. No wonder you're stuck – your brain is essentially trying to eat an elephant in one bite.
I've found that when growth stalls, it's rarely because we lack ideas. It's usually because we have TOO MANY ideas and no clear system for implementing them one at a time.
💡 Try this today: write down your biggest goal that feels stuck. Now, what's ONE thing – just one tiny thing – you could do in the next 24 hours that would move you even 1% closer? Do that. Then identify the next 1% move. And the next.
Celebrate each milestone along the way, no matter how small. That little sale, that new subscriber, learning a new thing… your brain is doing A LOT. Celebrate it! Reward yourself with a slice of chocolate cake (or something else if you’re not food-motivated like me).
Every tiny step forward is progress, and progress fuels motivation like nothing else. 80% of results come from 20% of your efforts; focus on an action to take and move forward slowly and consistently.
Businesses don't grow in massive overnight leaps. They grow through consistent, strategic action taken day after day. That compound effect is what breaks through stagnation.
05. Embrace Continuous Learning
Can I let you in on a little secret?
Learning is the key to embracing your full potential.
Platitudes, I know, but I truly believe that.
The market changes. Customer needs evolve. Technology transforms. If your business approach stays exactly the same as it was a year ago, you're already falling behind.
Here's what I think is good news – continuous learning doesn't have to mean signing up for every course or certification that crosses your path (something I’m still struggling to learn LOL). Strategic learning is about identifying the specific skills or knowledge that would directly address your current business plateau.
💡Ask yourself: What ONE skill, if mastered, would have the biggest impact on my business right now? Is it understanding SEO better? Improving your sales conversations? Managing a team more effectively? Learning to automate repetitive tasks?
Embrace the joy of growth and invest in yourself. Whether it's enrolling in a mind-expanding course, seeking a mentor's guidance, or attending transformative workshops.
Learning new things opens up fresh paths, boosts your confidence, and gives you the power to face new challenges.
I've found that business stagnation often happens right before a major level-up in your skills. That frustration you're feeling might actually be your entrepreneurial intuition telling you it's time to master something new.
06. Cultivate a Support System
You don’t have to do this alone.
Navigating the solopreneurial journey can feel isolating and lonesome sometimes.
But you don't have to go it alone. Build a group of like-hearted, fierce solopreneurs who lift you up. Connect with mentors, join online communities, and attend networking events. Sharing experiences, seeking advice, and collaborating with these incredible like-minded peeps will keep your spirits high and your momentum unstoppable.
When we're stuck, we often retreat further into isolation – which only makes the stagnation worse. (Ask me how I know.) Sometimes the best thing you can do is pick up the phone and talk to someone who gets it.
The right business friends won't just commiserate with you (though that has its place too). They'll ask tough questions, offer fresh perspectives, and hold you accountable to the actions you say you want to take.
Who in your network could offer that kind of perspective? Who can see your blind spots? And if you don't have those people yet – where can you find them?
Breaking Through: Stagnation Is Temporary
Feeling stuck in your business is a temporary detour on your journey that everyone faces. Think about every hurdle as an opportunity to learn, expand, and evolve into the ultimate business owner you're meant to be.
And give yourself grace.
Take breaks when you need, seek support, and know that you don't have to go it alone. The world is waiting for your unique gifts, skills, background, brain & heart.
Business stagnation isn't a sign that you're doing something wrong. It's a natural part of growth – the plateau before the next ascent. The businesses that truly thrive over the long term ARE NOT the ones that never hit plateaus; they're the ones that know how to recognize them, address them, and use them as launching pads to the next level.
What's one small action you could take today to start breaking through your stagnation? Journal about that tomorrow morning. 🤍
