Every growing business hit bottlenecks—those invisible walls that stall progress. As an owner-manager, identifying and eliminating these is your job. Here are the five most common ones I’ve seen—and what to do about them.

1. You’re the Bottleneck:
   Everything comes through you—approvals, decisions, customer queries. 

Solution: Empower your team with authority, training, and trust.

2. No Clear Vision or Direction:
   If your team doesn’t know where you’re going, they’ll pull in different directions. 

Solution: Create a clear vision and communicate it often.

3. Lack of Documented Systems:
   When tasks aren’t systemized, errors increase, and growth is capped. 

Solution: Start building SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) one department at a time.

4. Weak Cash Flow Management:
   Profit doesn’t equal cash. Late payments, overstocking, and poor forecasting can strangle growth.

Solution: Use a weekly cash flow forecast and tighten credit control.

5. No Real Performance Metrics:
   What you don’t measure, you can’t manage. 

Solution: Identify KPIs for each department and review them weekly.

Growth bottlenecks aren’t a sign of failure—they’re a sign you’re ready for the next level. Recognise them, deal with them, and keep climbing.We can assist with all of the above, email darrynlegrange@actioncoach.com to find out the next steps.