Enterprises generally start with a clear view of what they’re for – a purpose that inspires their creation and early growth. In time, though, they can start to define themselves by what they do, rather than what they’re for. This shapes how they see the outside world and can limit their ability to see and seize growth opportunities. This can be a problem for smaller businesses too, especially tech businesses. Many a budding tech entrepreneur can talk eloquently, sometimes even coherently, about their tech but can’t describe what painpoint it addresses for their customers, or explain the benefit it brings. The much-vaunted pivot is often just a dawning realisation of what value the tech might have, and to whom.

The rest of this section describes some of the internal traps that get in the way of great customer delivery, and growth. If you recognise any of these, it could be a sign that these factors are slowing down your business. But you can get rid of them! Rediscovering your core purpose, and expressing that in terms that customers would recognise and support, can be a powerful catalyst for growth.