The Stuck Truck & The Power of Perspective in Small Business Growth
- Nhat Pham
- Aug 27
- 2 min read
We’ve all been there: stuck, pushing harder, yet going nowhere. Whether it’s a truck in the mud or a business hitting a plateau, the instinct is the same — apply more force. But sometimes, the breakthrough comes not from more effort… but from a different perspective.
I’ll never forget watching that truck bogged down in the mud. Everyone gathered, pushing, shoving, trying everything they could think of. Nothing worked.Then a young boy spoke up: “Why don’t we let the air out of the tires?”
The group paused, tried it — and the truck rolled out in seconds.
Lesson:That’s the difference perspective can make. In small business, we often:
Try to outwork problems with longer hours.
Throw more money or people at challenges.
Stick with the familiar, even when it no longer works.
But growth doesn’t always come from “pushing harder.” It comes from looking at the problem differently.
Application:
A retail owner stuck in flat sales realized her “best customers” were only 20% of her base — and doubled revenue by shifting focus there.
A professional services firm stopped chasing every client and focused on ideal-fit ones, increasing profit while working less.
In both cases, the change wasn’t more force. It was a new lens.
Today, one of the most powerful “fresh perspectives” we can apply is AI in business strategy.
Instead of slogging through repetitive tasks, AI can highlight patterns we miss.
Instead of gut guesses, AI can analyze customer data for insights.
Instead of being stuck in the mud, AI gives us that outside voice saying, “Why don’t we try this?”
Practical Tip: This week, ask yourself:
Where am I stuck pushing harder?
What if I looked at the problem differently?
What fresh perspective (from a mentor, a peer, or even AI) could unlock momentum?
Action: I’ll be diving deeper into these themes — especially how strategic AI can give small businesses exponential leverage — at our Oct 6 RVA Small Business EDU Forum session.
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