5 Powerful Antidotes to the Business Blocks Keeping You Stuck

You’re smart. You’re passionate. You’ve taken the courses, downloaded the PDFs, joined the masterminds — and yet, you still feel stuck in your business. Sound familiar?

You’re not alone. In a recent round of focus groups I held called The Insight Circle, I spoke to small business owners who are right where you are. And the same five blocks kept coming up again and again. But here’s the good news: there are simple antidotes for each one — ones that are practical, doable, and grounded in the reality of running a business in 2025.

Let’s break them down together.

1. The Block: Overwhelm and Paralysis

The Antidote: The Power of a One-Page Plan

When your brain has 12 tabs open and your to-do list looks like an IKEA manual, it’s no wonder you’re frozen. One of the biggest things I heard in the Insight Circle was how impossible it feels to make decisions when everything feels important, urgent, and unfinishable.

A one-page business plan brings everything together: your offers, dream client, visibility, and messaging — in one clear space. Not 15 Asana boards. Not a color-coded Notion setup that gives you heart palpitations.

This helps you breathe again. It brings instant clarity and focus. Instead of spinning, you can move. Think of it like a map — you don’t need to know every street name, you just need to see the road ahead.

Try This: Write out your entire business model on one A4 sheet. If you can’t fit it? You’re doing too much. Ask: what’s essential right now? What will move the needle in the next 90 days? Make it visual, clear, and visible.

Bonus Tip: Use categories: “Offer,” “Audience,” “Visibility,” “Sales Process,” and “Support.” That way, you know what you’re building and what you’re missing.

2. The Block: Shiny Object Syndrome

The Antidote: The “Not Now” List

The next idea always seems like the best idea, doesn’t it? And listen, I get it — if you’re a multi-passionate business owner, ideas are your currency. But constantly chasing new things leads to burnout, half-finished launches, and a deep sense that you're never quite getting there.

That’s where the Not Now List becomes magic.

It’s a sacred space for all your genius — but it doesn’t interrupt your current focus. It allows you to capture the buzz without sacrificing your progress.

Try This: Start a Not Now list in your Notes app or journal. Title it something juicy like “For Later Magic” so you feel excited, not deprived. Revisit it monthly. Some ideas will grow, some will fade — and both are fine.

Real Talk: Joy doesn’t come from having more ideas. It comes from bringing one thing to life, fully and beautifully.

3. The Block: Messaging Meltdowns

The Antidote: The Customer Voice Swipe File

So many people told me they struggle to talk about what they do — and more importantly, to talk about it in a way that makes their dream clients say, “OMG, that’s me.”

The fix? Stop trying to be clever. Start being clear. And the clearest way to communicate? Use your customer’s actual words.

Gather phrases from testimonials, Voxer chats, DMs, emails — anywhere your people are expressing their desires and frustrations. These are content prompts, sales page gold, and caption hooks waiting to happen.

Try This: Start a Google Doc titled “Customer Voice.” Set a weekly reminder to update it. Ask your current clients how they’d describe your work or what problem they were Googling before they found you. Their words are your copy.

Pro Tip: Use their language in headlines, captions, and especially in the first line of your content. That’s the hook that makes someone feel seen.

4. The Block: Confidence Crashes

The Antidote: Action Before Confidence

Let’s bust a myth: You do not need to feel confident before taking action. That’s not how it works. Confidence is a result, not a prerequisite.

In our focus groups, people spoke about feeling like they needed to ‘fix’ their mindset before launching, selling, or showing up. But actually? You don't 'fix' your mindset, you adapt, change and flex your mindset by doing the thing. Even imperfectly.

Tiny action steps — what I call “confidence reps” — build belief. You don’t need a flawless funnel or a viral reel. You need to make a brave move today. And another one tomorrow.

Try This: Pick a 5-minute brave task. Go live for 3 minutes. Pitch one offer in your stories. Email someone you admire. Show your face. These micro-moments matter.

Bonus Insight: Track your confidence reps weekly. You’ll be amazed at how it compounds.

5. The Block: Craving Connection & Accountability

The Antidote: Your Inner Circle

This one came up so strongly in the Insight Circle: people are craving honest connection. Not just another noisy Facebook group or a monthly Q&A where you never get picked to speak.

Real business growth often happens in intimate rooms. With people who know you, see you, and aren’t afraid to give tough love when needed. The kind of support that says, “You said this mattered — what are you doing about it?”

You don’t need more followers. You need 3–5 people who hold you to your boldest goals.

Try This: Reach out to someone you respect and ask if they’d like to co-work or be accountability partners. Better yet, join a curated community that centres implementation over inspiration — like The Joy Work Members Club.

Why This Matters: Isolation is one of the fastest routes to business burnout. But connection? It creates momentum, clarity, and resilience.

Final Thought:

You’re not behind. You’re not broken. And you’re not the only one who finds this hard. What I saw in The Insight Circle wasn’t failure — it was a bunch of incredible business owners standing at the edge of something bigger.

The next version of your business doesn’t need to be shinier — it needs to be simpler, braver, and more you.

So take one of these antidotes. Start today. Let it shift something. Because from what I saw in that room? You’re already so much closer than you think.

Let’s do the Joy Work.

Want more clarity and confidence in your business? Come join The Joy Work Members Club.