Do you suffer from too many ideas or not enough? Do you struggle to execute your plans? Do you stick to your lane, and not expand? Do the demands of right now override future thinking? Do you have grand plans for the new year, but don’t quite know what to do with them?

If you’re running a small business, you are probably familiar with at least some of those states. It can be paralyzing and disconcerting. But rest assured it’s very normal.

These all seem like different problems, but actually they are the same - what they share is a shortage of clarity.

Naming the right problem gets you halfway there. 🔭

Clarity doesn’t mean having all the answers. It means knowing which questions matter right now. 

When you can name the problem with precision, the path forward starts to narrow. Options become more meaningful, decisions feel lighter, solutions come easier.

This is why we spend so much time in The Clarity Clinic defining problems before we ever talk about solutions. Not because it’s academic, but because it’s practical. 

Clear problems lead to usable plans. Fuzzy problems lead to endlessly circling around countless solutions.

I see it every workshop. 👀

At a recent workshop, a participant’s entire 2026 business plan crystalized before our eyes. With the help of the group, he realized that his new business pipeline could be upleveled by partnerships with institutions that already had his clients’ trust. Delving further into the problem definition, we also uncovered that his user (the person he works directly with) is not his customer (the person who makes the purchase decision), and that the messaging needs to be tailored to each group.

It was a powerful moment because he had been spinning on this issue for weeks, and only found clarity when he unpacked the problem and saw it for what it was. He’s now pursuing this course and already seeing dividends. ❤️

Sign up today. 📝

Looking for clarity for the year ahead? Join us at an in-person workshop on Wednesday, January 21 and Thursday January 22, 2026 from 9:20-12:30 at Kiln Rancho Bernardo. Link is here. 

Can’t join in January? Check out our dates in February 2026 or sign up for our waitlist here.