How do I make a tough business decision when I'm not sure?

By Ask a Shop OwnerUpdated Leadership

Short answer

Ask what you would do if you had to decide today, knowing what you know. That answer is almost always right. The delay is the cost.

Why owners stall

Hoping more information will arrive. It rarely does, and when it does, it's mostly irrelevant. Most tough calls are 60/40 and the cost of stalling is bigger than the cost of being wrong.

The trick

Decide, then ask: what would I have to see in the next 30 days to know I was wrong? Set the check-in. Now you can move forward without needing to be right today.

Ask your version of this question

This is one business owner-tested take. Your shop size, trade, and team change the answer. Ask the exact version inside Ask a Shop Owner and get a response grounded in how owners like you actually handled it.