Monday, October 26, 2026
Only around 20% of companies complete 80% of their strategic goals, and fewer than half of employees know what's expected of them. Here's how OKRs fix that at SME scale.
Every few months lately, the headlines flip again — confidence up a quarter, then down the next; one cost pressure easing just as another tightens. If you've caught yourself putting off a decision because "we'll know more next quarter," that's not caution. That's being stuck, and it has a cost whether or not you can see it yet.
In thirty years in business — including nine companies founded or co-founded through more recessions, currency swings and "unprecedented" headlines than Kevin can count — the owners who come out ahead aren't the ones with better information. They're the ones with a better process for deciding without it.
The Vistage CEO Confidence Index, which tracks small and midsize business leaders, sat at 87.2 in the first quarter of 2026 — down 1.7 points, ending a three-quarter climb. Heightened uncertainty was pulling down expectations for revenue, profitability and hiring, and 14% of CEOs reported delaying hiring or holding roles open to balance expenses against an uncertain revenue outlook. That's not a crisis number. It's a normal wobble — and normal wobbles are exactly when owners quietly freeze decisions that have nothing to do with the thing they're actually worried about.
The problem isn't that the economy is uncertain. It always is, to some degree. The problem is treating "wait and see" as the safe option, when it's really just a decision in disguise — one made by default, with no one accountable for it.
You don't need better forecasting. You need a short process that works whether the next quarter is calm or chaotic:
"Keeping me sane and focused during uncertain times."
— Rachel Williams, Icehouse Coaching Programme
Most owners know, in theory, that waiting for certainty is a trap. In practice, uncertainty is isolating — and an isolated decision-maker reaches for whatever feels safest in the moment, which is usually no decision at all. Coaching clients surveyed through The Icehouse rate this kind of support at an NPS of +72, and the reason isn't motivation. It's structure: a standing, unemotional second opinion on the door you're about to walk through, every single month, uncertain economy or not.
If the last three decisions you've put off are all waiting on an economy that was never going to send a clear signal, start your conversation with Kevin this month, not next quarter.
Be the owner who decides on your date, not the economy's.
Monday, October 05, 2026
You've boosted the posts, hired the agency, rewritten the website twice, and the phone still isn't ringing. Before you spend another dollar, ask whether a stranger could explain what makes you different in one sentence.
Monday, October 05, 2026
Your competitor just launched the move you'd been 'finalising' for six months. Here's the fifty-year-old decision framework that fixes the real problem: not your strategy, your decision speed.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
EOS, Scaling Up, Vistage, ActionCOACH or Simple-Growth? A fair comparison with best-for and not-ideal-if for each option, a fit matrix and a nine-question quiz.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
What does a business coach cost in New Zealand? Published monthly and hourly ranges, cheaper options, how RBPN co-funding can help, and a checklist for judging value.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
New 2026 global research shows trust alone only earns a brand 48 percent acceptance into new territory - relevance takes it to 71 percent. Here is the two-question test that finds the real gap before you spend on expansion.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
The personal touch that built your reputation at ten staff quietly becomes the bottleneck that breaks it at thirty. Here is how to turn a habit into a system before it costs you.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
Most owners check star ratings and warm adjectives before hiring a coach. Here is the three-detail test that tells you whether a review is evidence or decoration.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
The Christmas shutdown is about eleven weeks away. Here is the one-page-per-role handover document that decides whether you actually switch off this year.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
The biggest sales research study ever run found the best reps ask, they don't tell. Here is the SPIN method, and the four questions that come before any pitch.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
No ad budget doesn't mean no reach. Here is the Dream 100 method for finding the audiences that already trust your exact customer, and earning your way in.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
Most SME growth plans are really just wishlists with a due date. Here is the two-question strategic choice cascade that turns good ideas into an actual strategy.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
Burger King sold Whoppers for one cent, but only within 600 feet of a McDonald's. Here is the small-business version of that play, for under $5k.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
Customers rank quality and service three times higher than price, yet a third of marketers admit they can't say what makes their brand different. Here's the three-step audit that fixes the real problem before you touch your price list.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
Most growth plans start with finding new customers. The cheapest lever is usually already inside the transaction happening right now - here's the Checkout Audit that finds it.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
Most owners call a coach only once something's broken. The data on mentored businesses says the real value compounds earliest - here's the Two Doors test for deciding when.