Change the Route, Not the Destination
September 29th, 2026 by Diane Conklin under Business - General, Business Strategy. No Comments.
The launch flopped, the email sequence didn’t produce, you’re working hard but not getting the results you want.
And you hear that not so quiet voice say, Maybe this whole thing was a mistake.
That voice is expensive.
I’ve watched it talk smart, capable business owners into doing things they shouldn’t…like quit.
The campaign didn’t work the way you wanted it to, so you decided the offer is bad.
The launch missed the numbers, so the program must not be viable.
A marketing channel slowed down, so the whole business must be broken.
That’s a reaction.
You have to run your business on facts and responses, not emotions.
There’s always an alternative way to do something.
Don’t stubbornly keep doing things that aren’t working.
Separate the destination from the route.
The destination may still be right.
The route needs to change.
Let’s say your goal is more predictable revenue.
You try a membership, and it doesn’t work.
That doesn’t mean recurring revenue is wrong for your business. It’s probably not. It’s more than likely a very viable way to increase revenue.
Maybe the membership was the wrong recurring model.
Maybe a retainer makes more sense.
Maybe ongoing implementation.
Maybe a continuity service.
Same destination.
Different route.
Or maybe you want to reduce how much the business depends on your time.
You build a course, and nobody buys it.
That doesn’t mean leverage is impossible. And it certainly doesn’t mean courses are dead – like I recently heard a well-known marketer say.
Maybe your clients don’t want self-study.
Maybe they want group support.
Maybe they want your strategy plus team implementation.
Again, same destination.
Different route.
This is problem solving.
Too many people get emotionally attached to the tactic or outcome.
They decide the one thing they commit to has to work.
That rarely happens.
The business result is the destination. Not the result of one particular thing.
What if you had permission to change routes.
Test.
Measure.
Learn.
Adjust.
Maybe the first idea works beautifully. Great.
Maybe it doesn’t. That’s information.
You then need to ask a few critically important questions. And let the answers help you design the next route.
Not every road gets you where you want to go.
But one closed road doesn’t mean the destination disappeared.
If the goal still makes sense, find another way there.
Just don’t throw away a good destination because the first way you tried to reach it didn’t work. (You’ve heard the expression don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater…it applies here).
Remodel the route.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. I’m hearing a lot of this right now. And I’ve helped solve it for 7 business owners in the last 90 days. Are you feeling like this too?
To Your Success –
