Last week, I had the pleasure of being at a Business Leader conference in London and one of the guests was James Watt, Co-founder of BrewDog.
He gets his fair share of criticism, I suspect from people who don’t have all the information to judge, people who are jealous of his success and people who don’t understand his very clever marketing strategy.
Many of his stories were very pertinent, having grown a start-up to a £Bn business. He’s witnessed the same issues we all face time and time again.
He talked about procrastinating over a bad hire and went to see his coach. His coach said, “If you were running a marathon and there was a stone in your shoe, would you wait until the 23rd mile to remove it?” Of course not – because it would cause unnecessary discomfort and hamper your progress!
A powerful metaphor for not procrastinating and making tough decisions quickly.
Running a small business is like running a marathon with occasional stones in your shoes. It’s a long game, requiring endurance, strategy, and the ability to overcome obstacles. But imagine you’re running that marathon, as mentioned, and a small stone gets into your shoe. Would you keep going, hoping it shifts to a less painful spot? Or would you stop for a moment, remove it, and run pain-free?
Each time you are not making a tough decision, you are carrying on running hoping the problem will go away. It rarely does. You finish up having to remove it by which time you have lost valuable time, money and momentum.
Many business owners I speak to hesitate to make tough decisions, hoping problems will resolve themselves. Maybe it’s an underperforming employee, a struggling product line, or an outdated system draining time and resources. These issues may seem small at first, just a little discomfort. But as they persist, they slow you down, distract you, and ultimately cause bigger problems.
Common areas where quick decisions matter include:
- Underperforming employees – addressing performance issues early avoids long-term disruption and reputational damage
- Struggling products or services – holding on too long drains time, money, and energy you don’t have
- Ineffective marketing strategies – sticking with what’s not working delays retention, up-selling and attraction
- Difficult customer or supplier relationships – resolving conflicts quickly protects your reputation and business health
Successful business owners like James recognise that delaying tough decisions only makes things worse. The sooner you address a challenge, the less damage it causes for you, the team and the business. If an employee isn’t the right fit, letting them go now is kinder than prolonging an inevitable departure. If a product is failing, cutting your losses early prevents deeper financial strain. If a marketing strategy isn’t working, stop throwing good money at it in the hope it will work.
Making swift decisions doesn’t mean being reckless. It means assessing the situation with clarity, trusting your instincts, and taking action before the problem grows. A small business has limited resources, and wasted time is wasted money. The quicker you resolve challenges, the sooner you can refocus on growth.
Business owners do not like conflict which is a major reason for procrastination. Business owners also do not like underperforming businesses, which should be a bigger incentive to taking action quicker.
So, the next time you face a tough decision, remember the marathon metaphor. If there’s a stone in your shoe, don’t ignore it. Stop, fix the problem, and get back on track – stronger, faster, and ready to finish the race.
Of course, having an experienced guide, like the one used by James helps to bring much needed wisdom in the face of adversity and helps with making quick decisions based on experience.
Your business deserves to run without unnecessary pain. Make the tough decisions now, get on with the race and you’ll go the full distance, quicker.
What decisions have you shied away from making? What impact did they have?
