The Business Coach’s Guide to Focused Growth

Are You Focusing on the Line or the Water?

Let’s cut right to it: as business coaches, the way we (and our clients) frame the world is everything. Have you ever noticed how two people can stand right beside each other, looking at the same beach stand? One sees a massive line and says, “Nah, I’ll wait.” The other? All they see is the water they need, the result they want, and they go get it, line be damned.

This isn’t just a fun vacation anecdote. It’s a window into why some business owners (and coaches) stay stuck, and others leapfrog straight over the barriers everyone else seems obsessed with.

The Real Problem in Business Coaching

Here’s the biggie nearly everyone misses: our clients aren’t failing because of the tactical “how-to” stuff. They aren’t sinking because they lack the latest funnel hack or webinar script. Most business owners (heck, most coaches too) get tangled up focusing on their obstacles, the “line,” instead of committing to the result, the “water.”

We live in a world obsessed with to-do lists, inboxes, and fires to put out. No wonder people sprint from distraction to distraction, missing the magic that’s right in front of them.

Solutions Over Obstacles

So, what do I mean by “see the water, not the line”? It’s about mental framing and, by extension, reframing. You can give your clients the best marketing plan, the world’s greatest sales script, but if what’s between their ears is more head trash than head space, they’ll find a way to fumble it. Or they’ll chase their tail, focusing on everything in the way rather than what they want.

When you focus on solutions, your mental energy goes to progress, action, and momentum. When you focus on problems, you’re grinding gears, stuck, frustrated, looking at the line, and making excuses.

Room Filling Syndrome

So many coaches say, “I want to be a public speaker!” But then they stare at the challenge: “Where’ll I get the people to fill the room?” Guess what, most never get off the ground.

They never even take a real shot. The dream dies before it takes shape, all because they couldn’t look past the “line.”

It’s the same for your clients: maybe they want more leads, but all they see is the Google Ad cost or the “algorithms are against me!” drama. Or, they want to launch a service, but all they see are the unknowns, the effort, the “what if it goes wrong?” Water? Nope. Line? All day.

Why Mindset Eats Tactics (for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner)

Even if you give someone the ultimate 12-step growth plan, six different ways to scale, and a treasure map to hidden profits, they’ll still trip up if their focus is always on what’s in the way. Before the fancy playbook comes the mental reset.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth (heard it from me before, you’ll hear it from me again): “What you say to yourself about yourself, when you’re by yourself, matters.” In coaching, your internal conversation sets the ceiling for your effectiveness. The same goes triple for the business owners you mentor.

Shifting Your (and Your Clients’) Focus

Let’s get out of theory and into what to do today, to rewire this focus. Here’s where you can guide your clients (and yourself):

1. Daily Silence Drill

Start your day with five minutes of silence. No phone. No inbox. Just you and your thoughts. Ask yourself: “What result do I want today, and what’s one thing I can do that gets me closer?”

This isn’t woo-woo. It’s about breaking the autopilot run from task to task. You’ll be amazed at how clarity shows up in the quiet.

2. Obstacle Outcome Reframing

When your client complains about a problem (“nobody’s paying on time,” “I can’t hire good people,” yada yada), ask: “And what do you want instead?” Keep drilling down until they’re focused on the outcome, the “water.” Then ask, “What’s a direct, simple action toward that?”

3. Pilot Error Principles

If something isn’t working? Own it. Don’t blame the market, the president, or the war. 90% of disasters (in aviation and in business) are pilot error. Get brutally honest about what you control and shift attention there. It’s empowering… and profitable.

4. Celebrate Singles, Not Just Home Runs

Small, daily actions compound, think bunts and base hits, not just home runs. Don’t let clients (or yourself) get addicted to magic bullets or overnight wins. Show them how getting 1% better at seeing solutions, every day, leads to 37x results in a year. (Do the math sometime, it’s wild.)

5. Repeat Positive Beliefs 

Literally say to yourself, “Getting clients is easy. Getting clients is fun.” Ten times before breakfast, 100 if you’re brave. Have your client create their own belief mantras, and repeat ‘em until their subconscious catches up.

Why This Feels Hard

Let’s not sugarcoat it. The world, the internet, everything around you is designed to throw more lines in front of your face: more notifications, more urgent-sounding distractions, more “you’re missing out!” nonsense.

The hard part isn’t learning the new tactic; it’s disciplining your brain to spot the opportunity, the “water,” rather than the bottleneck.

Your clients are addicted to triviality, obsessing over the park benches instead of the traffic flow (if you know, you know). Your job is to non-judgmentally snap them out of it, again and again, until the habit forms.

Installing a System

Here’s what separates the pros from the wingers and the hiders: process and repeatability. That’s why I created an operating system you can install in any small business, reverse-engineered to keep focus squarely on profit and solutions, not obstacles or vanity metrics. It’s plug-and-play, it works across industries, and it saves you from reinventing the wheel with every new client.

If you want to learn how to install this operating system, book a call. If you want to stop watching the line and finally get the water for your business and for your clients, it starts here.

Progress equals happiness. Go get yourself some progress. See the water, not the line, and remember: the results belong to those who focus on solutions, not excuses.

Book a call today to explore installing the operating system that keeps your clients (and you) moving forward—one solution at a time.