The Emotional Toll of the "Run Around" Stage in Business
Every business goes through three stages: survival mode, growth mode, and optimized mode. Most owners are familiar with the first stage — even if they have never heard it called by its name. At BDM, we call it "the run around." It is survival mode: doing whatever it takes to keep the doors open.
The run around is not just financially draining. It is emotionally exhausting. And for many owners, it goes on far longer than it should — not because they lack drive or intelligence, but because no one has ever shown them a way out.
The Vacuum at the Top
Here is the truth that most business owners will not say out loud: the typical business owner lives in a vacuum. They are alone at the top of the heap. There is no one above them to ask for guidance, no peer who truly understands what they are carrying, and no safe space to admit that they do not have all the answers.
This isolation is not a personal failing — it is a structural reality of small business ownership. The owner is the decision-maker, the problem-solver, and the last line of defense. That is a heavy weight to carry, and the run around stage makes it heavier still.
The Burden of Expectations
What makes the vacuum at the top so difficult is what fills it. Everyone — staff, suppliers, customers, family — expects the owner to have the answers. It is lonely and burdensome.
Employees look to the owner for direction. Suppliers expect timely decisions. Customers expect consistent service. And family expects stability and income. All of that pressure lands on one person. In survival mode, the owner is managing all of those expectations while simultaneously fighting to keep the business alive. It is not sustainable — and over time, it takes a serious toll.
Teaming Up
The good news is that the run around is not a permanent condition. It is a stage — and there is a path through it. BDM's job is to team up and enlighten clients to a new way of controlling their businesses in terms of profitability and ease of operation.
That word — team up — matters. BDM does not swoop in with a cookie-cutter solution and hand the owner a report. The approach is a working "with you" methodology. It is about building a partnership, creating a safe space for honest conversation, and helping the owner see both the seriousness of their problems and the real opportunity that lies on the other side of the leverage zone shift. The run around does not have to be the whole story.
Ready to stop going in circles?
Take Control
Download The Purpose-Built Playbook today to learn how BDM helps business owners move out of survival mode and into a controlled, optimized, and profitable business.
