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Profits & Pints Recap — November 2025

Plan to Win 2026

Identify Your Biggest Constraint Before Setting Strategy


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When you look back on 2025 — what worked, what didn’t, and where did you feel friction?


This month’s Profits & Pints tackled the question that every growth-minded business owner should ask before setting next year’s goals:


What’s the one constraint that’s holding your business back right now?

Because while every organization has multiple problems, there’s usually one primary constraint — the bottleneck that, if removed, makes everything else easier to fix.

This session was all about finding yours.


Start With Reflection: What’s Actually Going On in Your Business?

Samantha opened the evening by inviting owners to reflect honestly:

What worked this year? What didn’t? Where did you struggle or feel the most friction?

Most importantly — what kept you up at night? 


Identifying your constraint isn’t about fixing everything — it’s about identifying the one thing that will unlock the rest.


The Four Categories of Constraint

Samantha walked us through the four major buckets where constraints typically show up:


1️⃣ Sales & Marketing

Are you consistently attracting and converting the right customers?

When this is your constraint, you’ll see signs like:

  • Unpredictable leads

  • Over-reliance on referrals

  • Stalled sales

  • Heavy owner/salesperson dependency


Test this:

If demand doubled next year, would your pipeline hold up?


2️⃣ Operations & Delivery

Can you deliver consistently, efficiently, and at scale?

Operational constraints show up as bottlenecks, rework, slow handoffs, overwhelmed teams, or lack of documented systems.


Test this:

If delivery increased 50–100% next quarter, what would break first?


3️⃣ People & Leadership

Is your team aligned, empowered, and accountable?

This looks like:

  • Role confusion

  • Decision bottlenecks

  • Reactive hiring

  • Leadership fatigue

  • No middle management (in larger companies)


Test this:

Is everyone rowing in the same direction at the same pace?


4️⃣ Cash & Systems

Do you have real-time visibility into your financial health?

Common symptoms include cash surprises, slow AR/AP, outdated pricing, disconnected systems, and slow reporting that leads to slow decisions.


Test this:

Do your systems talk to each other — or do you have to chase data between departments?


Next: Assess Strategy vs. Execution

Once you’ve identified your constraint, the next step is determining whether it’s a strategy problem, an execution problem, or both.


Samantha shared a matrix that helps owners diagnose this:

  • Clear strategy + weak execution = lost momentum

  • Weak strategy + strong execution = busy but aimless

  • Weak strategy + weak execution = chaos

  • Clear strategy + strong execution = traction


Most companies lean strong in one and weak in the other. The goal is to build both muscles.

How to Remove the Constraint

Removing a constraint requires two things:


Alignment

  • Clear direction

  • Unified leadership

  • Team buy-in

  • Priorities everyone understands


Accountability

  • Clear ownership

  • Measurable indicators

  • Consistent meeting rhythms

  • Visible progress


Together, alignment + accountability create real traction.


Your Plan to Win 2026

Once your constraint is clear, the goal is simple:

Pick ONE priority for Q1 that directly removes it.

Not 10 priorities. Not 5. One.

Because fixing one core constraint is a domino effect — everything else becomes easier.


Samantha shared examples:

  • Small Business Example

    • Constraint: Marketing

    • Priority: Build one lead engine

    • Owner: CEO

    • Indicator: Weekly qualified leads

    • Success: 8 qualified leads/week by March 31


  • Larger Organization Example

    • Constraint: Operations

    • Priority: Reduce cycle time by 20%

    • Indicator: Weekly throughput

    • Success: 20% reduction sustained


Business is never “easy,” but focusing on one constraint at a time makes growth intentional — and far more manageable.



Upcoming Events


We’re taking December off to enjoy the holidays!


We’ll be back in January with the first Profits & Pints of 2026.


Next Profits & Pints - 📅 January 20th



Until next time, cheers to smart moves and great conversation.


— Samantha & the SBC Team 🍻



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