Why Taking Action Matters More Than Ever in Business Right Now

Author: Business Coach Natalie Tolhopf

As part of the new Business Advisory offering at The Accounts Department, we're spending more time than ever talking with business owners about what's really happening behind the scenes in their businesses.

The economy is still challenging. Buying decisions are taking longer. AI is changing how people work. And many business owners are trying to work out what they should be focusing on next.

Recently, I reflected on what I’m seeing across my client base, from sole traders through to businesses with established teams. While every business is different, there are some clear themes emerging.

The biggest one? Action creates clarity.

Here's what I’m noticing right now.

Karate-Chopping the Complexity

Last week, I worked with a client and some of her key team members. Like any business, they have a main strategy for the year. But teams easily get stuck in the overwhelm of working off a main strategy.

So, I got them to individually work through a one-page strategy. We focused entirely on how they want to perform, how they want to show up, and what focus they want to have this year to align with the bigger business goals. And they really loved it.

Doubling Down on What Works (and Selling Before You Build)

I have another client we are working with to solidify her revenue streams. She has three streams she’s poured a lot of focus into over the last eight months, and they are working.

But what do we want to do in business when something works? The impulse is to go and do a new strategy or try something else.

We chose to double down on them instead, which means we've got the data factually—from reviews, revenue, and metrics.

She moved straight into action—putting the new offer out, getting into conversation, and selling a new group offer before she even built it.

Look, selling before you build is a lot. It can be confronting and overwhelming when you're first doing that, but it gives you a real-time understanding of what your cohort needs at that exact time. If it's working, we just need to double down on it.

The Market Is Swinging Back 11 Years

It’s quite interesting because what's working within the market is swinging right back to 11 years ago, I believe.

With the massive influx of AI, people are actively trying to see through some of the AI facade.

We want to trust, which we get through being in person, and it just builds better rapport.

That's why you'll see a much more upsurge in communities growing, networking events, and organic referral networks.

The businesses who are still around and doing well are relying on that referral network, which means your basic delivery and service have to be excellent.

Buying Cycles Are Longer, But Longevity Wins

People are definitely taking a little bit longer right now to think about investment and purchases.

That can be dependent on what industry you're in, obviously.

But I’ve seen with another client that the fact that she's still in the game after so many years, solving the problem for this one area that she’s always solved, has really come back around and positioned her as an authority in her field.

She’s getting asked onto someone's podcast from a year ago, and long-standing relationships from six years ago are coming back saying, "Hey, we want to collab and send work to you."

Longevity and showing up are paying off.

AI, Upskilling and Service Delivery

For me, visibility is going to play a big part in either keeping or establishing authority and trust in a market.

I haven't been as visible because of my workload and this merger.

Part of what is happening now is upskilling with AI.

I have clients with a particular niche of clients who need to upskill there, even in their delivery. We are looking at how they can make their service delivery better with the help of AI.

And for me, I am well entrenched into using AI and wowza, the time savings so far have been incredible.

Challenging Perspectives and Staying Optimistic

Three times a year, I pull my clients together for an in-person day.

We come together to do some mindset work, some strategy work, and look at points of view from a 360-degree perspective.

This time around, I provided them with some quotes from well-known people—they didn't know who they were at the time—and we debated them. Were they right? Were they wrong? What would happen if we applied that thinking to their business?

It allows you to get many points of view, constantly change your lens, and make better-informed decisions.

And during the day, we realised:

Optimism is actually a strategy.

I jokingly call a few of my clients "Whack-a-Moles", and I mean that with so much respect.

They get quite significant, heavy things happen within their life and their business, but they just keep getting back up.

That resilience is impressive.

But actually, as a strategy, staying optimistic—thinking "I can make this work", "this is just a season", "this is just a glitch", or even "this is pretty shit, but I know the work I've put in deserves me to keep going"—is what keeps you in the game.

Financial Accountability Is Becoming More Important

One thing we're also seeing across many business owners right now is a stronger focus on financial accountability.

People want to understand where they're really at financially, both personally and in business.

They're paying closer attention to spending, making sure their accounts are up to date, understanding their numbers, and ensuring they're meeting their compliance obligations.

When uncertainty increases, visibility becomes even more important.

The Bottom Line

The businesses making progress right now aren't necessarily the ones with the biggest budgets, the fanciest systems, or the most sophisticated strategies.

They're the ones taking action.

They're simplifying complexity. Doubling down on what works. Building genuine relationships. Adapting to new technology. Understanding their numbers. And when life or business knocks them down, they're getting back up again.

Just like the Whack-a-Moles.