Running on empty: The Redlined Business

Your business is growing, revenue is climbing, but something feels off. 

You and your leadership team are stretched thin, working long hours, constantly putting out fires. Profit margins are tighter, and employee turnover may be climbing. This is the Redline Business.

You can think of it like a car engine revving too hard, pushing beyond safe limits. You can do this for a while for maximum performance, but you can’t sustain it without something breaking.

How you got here

We know that fast-growing companies are some of the first to experience employee burnout and turnover due to strained infrastructure. 

The excitement of rapid growth masks the increasing gaps in systems and leadership bandwidth. Instead of planning ahead, businesses get caught in reactive modes. This means firefighting operational issues rather than building scalable processes.

Often, the business owner ends up overloaded, spending most time on daily crises and less on strategic growth. The team experiences stress and fatigue, which leads to turnover and a vicious cycle of understaffing and burnout.

Why it’s hard to see

When you’re deep in the redline, it’s like being in a storm. 

It’s hard to step back and diagnose the problem. The adrenaline rush of growth can mask signs of exhaustion. Financial results may still look good, delaying alarms. But without structural investment and leadership bandwidth, this pace isn’t sustainable.

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Words to use with your Strategy Coach

Explaining your challenge is half the battle won. Here are some phrases to assist you in explaining what you need out of a Growth Strategist:

• “We’re growing fast, but we’re running at full capacity and it’s wearing us down.”
• “There are frequent crises and last-minute fires to put out.”
• “Turnover is high and we’re struggling to keep up with demand.”

If you don’t have a coach and are curious about how strategy coaching could support your business, take a look here.

Growth is exciting, but only if you can support it sustainably. 

Recognizing when you’re redlining your business lets you recognize there is potential in your business, but it needs more investment. Invest in the next level to get to the next level, otherwise things are going to break and you may fall backwards. 

The article below will help you identify the signs and plan a healthier growth path.