This week, I played my first on-course round of golf in three months.
Now — I’ve been putting in the reps almost daily at the golf simulator.Working on my swing. Dialling in the feel. Feeling sharp.
But stepping onto the real course?
Different game.
The rhythm felt off. My short game (around the greens) was shaky. Putting? Let’s not even go there.
It wasn’t that I played terribly — but being away from the course exposed holes in my game where it mattered most.
And as I walked off the 18th, one thought hit me:
How often do we do this in business too?
Practice vs. Real Play
It’s easy to feel like we’re “working on” our business:
Tinkering with tools
Playing with ad copy
Updating a website
Posting on social here and there
But when it counts — when leads flow in, when the phone rings, when there are sales to be made — that’s when the cracks appear.
Leads slip through the cracks because there’s no system.
Follow-ups are inconsistent because you’re too busy.
Sales pipeline is a mess because you’re "too busy to fix it."
I see this all the time with the small business owners we coach.
And it’s no surprise. Just like my short game got rusty without real-course practice, your business muscle memory fades fast if it isn’t tested under real conditions.
What Small Business Owners Get Wrong
It’s easy to feel like you’re working hard on your business — but many small business owners I meet are stuck doing the wrong kind of work.
They’re chasing their tail, trying to keep up with the daily grind. And when they do get a spare moment to “work on the business,” they default to the wrong things:New logos. Website tweaks. Social posts with no follow-up plan.
Meanwhile, the stuff that actually drives growth — building a reliable lead flow, fixing follow-up, tightening their sales process — keeps getting kicked down the road.
The result? They stay stuck. Leads stay patchy. Revenue stays inconsistent. And they wonder why it feels like such a grind.
Here’s what I see most often:
They’re busy "working on the business" — but avoiding the real work (consistent lead gen, fast follow-up, converting opportunities).
They’re reading about strategies, tweaking their website, designing logos — but not practising the daily habits that move the needle.
They rely on “when I have time” — instead of having systems that run even when they’re flat out on a job.
If any of that sounds familiar — good news: you can fix it. But it starts by focusing on what matters most.
Here’s The Fix (And It’s Not Sexy)
If you’re expecting some “one-click funnel” or magic AI tool — sorry, you won’t find that here.
The truth is, consistent growth comes from getting the basics working well and doing them every day.
Not once a quarter when you find time. Not once the season slows down. Every. Single. Day.
Here’s how you start:
Systematise the stuff that matters. Build out your CRM. Automate follow-up. Have a clear lead pipeline.
Practise under pressure. Simulate the real flow: If 10 leads came in today, could you follow up on all of them properly — within 5 mins? If not, fix that first.
Treat your marketing like your short game. If you ignore it for weeks and then expect to nail it when the pressure’s on, you’ll fall short. Small, daily actions > big swings once a quarter.
None of this is fancy. None of it is “news.” But I can tell you — it’s exactly what the best small business owners are doing, day in and day out.
Why This Matters More Than You Think
Most small business owners I coach didn’t start out thinking they’d have to become marketing experts or system builders.
They just wanted to do great work, take care of customers, and build a business that supports their life.
But here’s the reality: if you don’t get these core pieces in place, your business will keep feeling harder than it needs to be.
You’ll stay stuck reacting instead of growing. Leads will stay inconsistent. Cash flow will stay stressful.
But when you do the unsexy work — when you practise in “real play” conditions and build a system that supports you — everything changes.
You stop losing leads.
You start closing more deals.
You get time back — and confidence that your business can run, even when you’re not on the tools.
That’s the game.And that’s why this week’s round of golf was a good reminder for me — and hopefully, for you too.
If you know your short game in business needs work — and you’re ready to get it sorted — send me a message.
I’ll show you how we help small business owners go from patchy results to consistent, six-figure growth without the overwhelm.