Like Walter White of AMC’s Breaking Bad, you might be finding your business is struggling and you’re not quite sure what the underlying issues are. Even worse, you might not even notice your business is struggling and you’re failing to see the warning signs of complete brand chaos. Lucky for you we’ve compiled a top 10 list of the most common issues we see time and time again.
1. You don’t think you’re in a position to take a position (on anything).
2. You keep diversifying your product/service offering in the hope of attracting more business.
3. You don’t have a brand story.
4. You keep telling yourselves you have a story but it keeps changing to fit your latest advertising campaign.
5. You don’t have a development plan. You just have an existence plan. (Perhaps you don’t even have that.)
6. You’ve lost your swagger. Good ideas are few and far between.
7. You’ve lost your focus. There’s always a new shiny object to chase and you’re easily distracted into side projects.
8. You’ve lost touch with what makes you special. You have 1000 ideas looking for a home.
9. You have a hard time attracting and retaining great employees.
10. Your category has been disrupted by a competitor you never saw coming, and from an angle you never considered.
The good news is, if you address these warning signs you shouldn’t have to resort to a life of crime to secure your family’s future. The last thing this world needs is another meth dealer. Right?
Strong brands reflect the qualities of the people who tirelessly aim to build equity in the brand. And that ought to be a great cause for hope because brands are based on people and built by people. Failure is not inherent or intrinsic. The fate of your brand is always in your control (even when you think it’s too late). However, it takes open minds and decisive action to take back control, turn things around, and persuade your staff and customers to believe in your brand.