There was a time when I found myself sitting in yet another weekly meeting, going through the same spreadsheet, hearing the same updates, and thinking “surely this isn’t what running a business is meant to feel like”.
Everything was getting done, boxes ticked, emails sent, bills paid, but it felt like we were running on autopilot. And we were.
We were stuck in the motions.
This isn’t just my story, it’s one I hear from business owners all the time. On paper, things look fine. The reports get reviewed, the cash flow isn’t in crisis, but nothing is really moving forward. Days blend together. There’s no spark, no strategy. Just survival mode, disguised as productivity.
Comfortable chaos: A familiar trap
One business I worked with had been using the same bookkeeper for over a decade. They trusted her, and everything looked okay. But when we started digging, it became clear that the books were being managed on autopilot, tick the box, move to the next.
It wasn’t that she wasn’t doing her job. She was. But over time, the work had stopped evolving. There was no curiosity, no challenge, no fresh perspective. And without that, nothing changed.
That experience reminded me how easy it is to mistake movement for progress.
Safe routines, stalled growth
Routines feel safe, predictable and comfortable. Especially when you’ve got a hundred other things pulling on your time and attention. But, comfort can quietly become a cage.
It takes courage to press pause and ask, is this really working?
Real growth often starts with uncomfortable questions and small but deliberate changes. Sometimes that means shifting team responsibilities. Sometimes it means rethinking the role of your financial systems. And sometimes, it means admitting that what got you here won’t get you where you want to go next.
The risk of staying the same
A lot of business owners I meet are afraid to rock the boat. They worry that change will create more work, more stress, more uncertainty. And I’ve felt that too.
But what I have learnt is that staying the same can be riskier than trying something new.
When you challenge the routine, you don’t just create space for new strategies. You create space for clarity, confidence, and long-term freedom.
You’re not meant to do it alone
If any of this resonates, I want you to know you’re not alone and you’re not supposed to figure it all out solo.
The role of a Virtual CFO is to help you see beyond the routines that keep your business stuck. We bring fresh eyes, practical strategies, and the kind of support that helps you move from stuck to strategic.
You don’t have to overhaul everything at once. You just have to be brave enough to ask: Is what I’m doing really working?
If the answer is “no” or even “not sure” we’re here to help you explore what better could look like.