I can’t take credit for that line – it’s a butchered version of a comment I read – but it stuck with me. Through the lens of my own experience, it means this: it’s okay to pivot, but too often I’ve seen companies veer so far off course they forget what they set out to do in the first place.

Let’s look at it this way. You run a video production agency and work slows down. It’s tempting to take on a web design project because, hey, it’s revenue, and you’ve got payroll, insurance, and maybe even rent to cover. But is that really what your company does? A move like that often leads to over-promising, under-delivering, and straining a team that was never built for that type of work. At best, it’s distracting. At worst, it erodes morale, damages your reputation, and causes long-term confusion about who you actually are.

This is how brand erosion happens – not in one sweeping moment, but little by little with a “yes” here, or an exception there. “We’ll take this one project just to get us through the quarter.” “It’s not really our thing, but we can probably figure it out.” Those decisions add up, and every time you say yes to something that falls outside your core focus, you’re saying no to the brand you’re trying to build, or have spent so long building.

There’s also a steep opportunity cost. When your best people are stuck chasing work that doesn’t align with your vision or expertise, they’re not building what actually moves your business forward. You’re not refining your positioning, serving your ideal clients, or improving your core capabilities, you’re just treading water.

And that’s what makes resistance so powerful. It’s not stubbornness, it’s discipline. It’s knowing who you are and being willing to protect that, even in the face of big checks. Brand strategy isn’t just about visuals or messaging, it’s about focus, consistency, integrity, and having a clear understanding of what you don’t do.

So what should you do when things slow down? Don’t panic-pivot. Instead, ask the harder (but more productive) questions:

• Why are things slowing down?
• Has your market shifted?
• Are you still clear on your ideal client profile?
• Is your sales and marketing strategy actually supporting your positioning?
  • By the way, sales and marketing shouldn’t be a hat worn by the same person.
    

If you don’t know where to start, that’s okay. Our Strategic Marketing Workshops are designed specifically for this. In just two days, we help companies uncover why things aren’t clicking, identify key gaps, and build a roadmap that gets them back on track with clarity, confidence, and momentum.

Written by Paul Kettelle, Co-Founder & CEO