Business Is A Work In Progress

If you are not moving forward, you are slipping backwards. There is no "stasis" in business, because business functions like a living organism. It needs a constant stream of fresh inputs that reflect the climate of whatever industry you are in.

I have always loved the expression "a person never steps into the same river twice - the river has changed - and so has the person".

All around us the needs and wants of our customers are in a constant state of flux. What worked yesterday is not guaranteed to work tomorrow.

Competitors emerge. Fads come and go. New technology arrives. Price fluctuations cause unpredictable cashflow.

To fight this inherent nature of business is an exercise in futility.

How many entrepreneurs and leaders find themselves in a similar loop? Launching a product that never gains traction, clinging to a strategy that used to work but no longer does, or trying to brute-force growth in a market that’s clearly changed. They push the boulder with everything they've got—time, money, energy—only to see it roll back down again. And the next day? They start pushing again.

One can imagine the boardroom at Eastman Kodak in the late 90's when digital cameras began to replace film and print photography: "But we are the world leader in print photography - no one can touch us!"

Right? - Until they DID touch them.

The same thing happened with retail stores being beaten by online sales. I'll never forget trying to convince a retailer that his business could be first to the online game and that one way or another, he would need to get there - might as well be first - and then silence - and then, his reply: "internet is just a fad - I don't want to waste my time and money on it".

And, now he's 20 years behind when he could have been at the forefront.

What emerging development in business could you embrace now to avoid such missed opportunity? A.I., perhaps?

Do not fear the pivot - if you are in business, you were made to pivot. You were made to find your superpower and then embrace and wear it proudly like a badge on your shoulder.

The Curse of Stubbornness

Sisyphus' curse wasn’t just the rock. It was the repetition. The refusal - or inability - to change course. Call it willful blindness, perhaps. In business, stubbornness can feel like determination. And sometimes, it is. But when the hill keeps getting steeper and the rock heavier, it might be time to ask: Are we solving the wrong problem? Are we climbing the wrong hill?

The difference between tenacity and futility lies in the ability to pivot.

The Power of a Pivot

A pivot isn't a failure. It’s a strategic shift. It means taking a step back, recognizing that the hill you're climbing may not lead to where you want to go, and finding a smarter path forward.

Some of the most successful companies we know today—Twitter, Slack, Shopify—began as entirely different ideas. They started pushing one boulder, realized it wasn't going anywhere, and picked a different one. More importantly, they chose a better landscape, found innovative ways to move THEIR boulder and built on their momentum

Signs You're in a Sisyphus Cycle

Here are a few red flags that you might be stuck in a Sisyphus-style loop:

Same effort, same disappointing results

Customers aren’t responding, no matter how hard you push

You're solving a problem no one seems to have

You feel exhausted, not energized, by the work

You're saying "we just need to push harder" instead of "maybe we need to rethink this"

Climb Smarter, Not Harder

In business, effort matters. But insight matters more. The smartest move isn’t always to double down on a failing path—it’s to ask better questions, look at the data differently, and be open to change.

Sisyphus didn’t have a choice. You do.

So if you find yourself pushing the same rock up the same hill, take a breath. Step back. Pivot. That's how progress happens.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

- Paul

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