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Tag: bottleneck

  • Leaders, Here’s How to Identify the Habits That Are Creating a Bottleneck in Your Business

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    Let’s be honest, most entrepreneurs say they want freedom, but their business still depends on them for every key decision. If you’re the one everyone calls when things break, you don’t own a business, you own a job. 

    That’s not a failure. It’s simply the natural result of doing what worked in the early days—taking charge, fixing problems, and keeping quality high. The trouble is that those same habits that made your business successful in the beginning can quietly become the things holding it back. The good news is that it’s fixable. The bad news is that it starts with you. 

    1. Spot the bottleneck. 

    Ask yourself, “What projects grind to a halt when I’m out of town?” Those areas are your control zones—the parts of your business where you have trained your team to depend on you. Maybe it’s client proposals, payroll approvals, or final product signoffs. 

    Write them down. Then ask, “If I disappeared for 30 days, which of these would keep running and which would stall?” That is where your true bottlenecks live. It can feel uncomfortable to face but identifying them is the first step toward reclaiming your time. 

    2. Systemize the process, not the person. 

    Most owners try to delegate by telling someone what to do. True delegation means teaching them how to decide. Don’t just hand off a checklist. Document your thinking. 

    Ask yourself:  

    • What factors do you weigh before saying yes?  
    • What red flags would stop you? What is an acceptable risk?  
    • When should something be escalated? 

    If you can turn your judgment into a repeatable process, your team can replicate success without relying on you. This not only frees up your time, but it improves consistency across the board. 

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    David Finkel

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  • Free Webinar | On-Demand: From Bottlenecks to Breakthroughs: 5 Barriers Stalling Entrepreneurs—and the System That Removes Them | Entrepreneur

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    Every founder eventually hits the same growth killers—isolation, decision fatigue, skill overload, stalled momentum, and a lack of real accountability. In this on-demand session you’ll see why these five barriers show up and why quick fixes rarely stick.

    You’ll also be introduced to The Boardroom, Entrepreneur Media’s new six-month mastermind that pairs you with a hand-picked peer group and expert mentors who turn those obstacles into weekly breakthroughs.

    Key takeaways:

    • Replace isolation with a curated advisory board

    • Slash decision fatigue using repeatable frameworks

    • Escape skill overload through expert playbooks

    • Restart stalled growth with high-leverage tactics

    • Close accountability gaps so goals become wins

    Register now for instant access and start mapping your path from bottleneck to breakthrough.

    About the Speakers:

    Jason Feifer is the editor in chief of Entrepreneur magazine and host of the podcast Problem Solvers. Outside of Entrepreneur, he writes the newsletter One Thing Better, which each week gives you one better way to build a career or company you love. He is also a startup advisor, keynote speaker, book author, and nonstop optimism machine.

    Jacqueline “JJ” Jasionowski blends luxury-brand rigor with entrepreneurial speed. After 17 years at BMW Group leading growth, training, and CX initiatives, she launched Shift Awake Group to deploy tech-forward training that lifts customer satisfaction and revenue. A Certified Professional Coach and expert facilitator, JJ builds behavior-shifting systems—reducing friction and driving measurable outcomes.

    Every founder eventually hits the same growth killers—isolation, decision fatigue, skill overload, stalled momentum, and a lack of real accountability. In this on-demand session you’ll see why these five barriers show up and why quick fixes rarely stick.

    You’ll also be introduced to The Boardroom, Entrepreneur Media’s new six-month mastermind that pairs you with a hand-picked peer group and expert mentors who turn those obstacles into weekly breakthroughs.

    Key takeaways:

    The rest of this article is locked.

    Join Entrepreneur+ today for access.

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    Entrepreneur Staff

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  • U.S. manufacturing barely expands in October, ISM says

    U.S. manufacturing barely expands in October, ISM says

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    The numbers: A closely-watched index that measures U.S. manufacturing activity fell 0.7 percentage points to 50.2 in October, according to the Institute for Supply Management on Tuesday.

    Economists surveyed by the Wall Street Journal had forecast the index to inch down to 50. Any number below 50% reflects a shrinking economy.

    It is the lowest level since May 2020.

    Key details: The index for new orders remained in contraction territory, rising 2.1 points to 47.1. The production index rose 1.7 points to 52.3.

    The employment index rose 1.3 points to 50 in October.

    Supplier deliveries fell 5.6 points to 46.8 in October. This is the first time that deliveries were in a “faster” territory since February 2016.

    The price index dropped 5.1 points to 46.6., also the lowest reading since the pandemic. Pricing power is shifting back to the buyer, the ISM said.

    Only 8 of the 18 manufacturing industries reported growth in October.

    Big picture: Manufacturing has been slowing recently led by softening business spending and fading demand for consumer goods. Economists think it is inevitable the index slips below the 50 threshold.

    In a separate data, the S&P global U.S. manufacturing PMI inched up to 50.4 in its “final” reading in October from the “flash” reading of 49.9. This is down from a reading of 52 in September.

    What ISM said: Manufacturing is slowing down and could soon enter contraction territory, but that doesn’t mean there will be a recession in the U.S., said Timothy Fiore, chair of the ISM factory business survey.

    “I don’t see a collapse of new orders. I don’t see a collapse of the PMI,” Fiore said.

    Looking ahead: “Recession jitters among manufacturers won’t disappear any time soon…manufacturing will endure more pain as demand weakens at home and abroad while prices stay high and interest rates remain fairly elevated,” said Oren Klachkin, economist at Oxford Economics.

    Market reaction: Stocks
    DJIA,
    -0.24%

    SPX,
    -0.41%
    were lower after the economic data. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note
    TMUBMUSD10Y,
    4.053%
    moved back above 4%.

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  • Chicago PMI weakens further in October

    Chicago PMI weakens further in October

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    The Chicago Business Barometer, also known as the Chicago PMI, dropped to 45.2 in October from 45.7 in the prior month, according to data released Monday.

    Economists polled by the Wall Street Journal forecast a 47 reading. 

    Readings below 50 indicate contraction territory.

    The index is produced by the ISM-Chicago with MNI. It is released to subscribers three minutes before its release to the public at 9:45 am Eastern.

    The Chicago PMI is the last of the regional manufacturing indices before the national factory data for October is released on Tuesday.

    Economist polled by the Wall Street Journal expect the closely-watched Institute for Supply Management’s factory index to barely remain above the 50 breakeven level in October. 

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