What Are “Business Instincts”?
Let’s talk about “business instincts.” Do you think you have good business instincts? Why?
When I think about my own instincts, I tend to think, “Oh yeah—the part of my body that tells me to eat, drink, breathe, and bathe,” not, “Oh yeah, my body is automatically telling me how to make money.” Maybe we use instincts as a way to describe that we’re tough enough to pilot our businesses through thick and thin.
The truth is, though, that our business instincts aren’t real. What we really need is to reframe how we think through problems in our businesses.
Fix This Next
That’s how Mike Michalowicz opens his book Fix This Next, and he’s right. Despite creating and selling multiple successful businesses, he doesn’t rely on good business instincts. Instead, Michalowicz insists that cultivated wisdom and intentional, methodical problem-solving are what make businesses successful. The reality is, we can’t depend on “instincts.” We have to think critically and systematically solve issues.
Donna’s Story
Donna also doesn’t have good “instincts.” At one point, Donna was given the feedback: “You aren’t like other bookkeepers. You don’t just disappear for 12 months and hand over a report—I actually understand my money working with you.” She took that feedback, and her instincts told her she needed to sell that.
Which sounds pretty sound! I don’t know anyone who would say, “The way to win over a client’s loyalty is by not talking to them.” And you would have to be out of your mind to say, “Don’t act on a client’s feedback”… right?
However, when she included monthly meetings with clients in her standard package, a lot of clients didn’t show up. It was an initiative that fell flat at the time. That’s the problem with “instincts”—they’re often driven by our own excitement. We think we’re on the verge of a killer idea and don’t take the time to properly evaluate the value of the idea or how to implement it. How could we? We’re business owners—we don’t have the time for that.
Our 2026 Goal
To fix the problems in our businesses, we need tools that allow us to think critically and monitor the changes we implement. Over the next year, our goal is to do just that: provide you with several tools to fix problems and connect you with professionals we work with to solve issues in our own businesses.