When You’re Too Far Down the Wrong Path

I remember a few years ago, I was part of a Boy Scout leadership team that took a group of 40 youth and adults to Nevada, Arizona and Utah. We flew into Las Vegas, got our rental vans, divided some stops and grabbed some gear, then hit the road. The first leg of the trip was camping on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We had made our stops and my van was heading toward the north Rim (or so we thought). We had been traveling for about 3 hours and came to the realization that we were on the south side of the canyon, heading in the wrong direction. It had already been a long day, travel delays, lost baggage, damaged backpacks, time zone changes and now this. If you have ever been in that area, you can’t just get off and make a left at the next exit, the GRAND CANYON is in the way. So, what did we do, we turned around. We had to go back almost where we started to make the correction. That’s what we did. We drove 2.5 hours back and finally got on the correct road. We arrived barely holding our heads up. We got to camp, set our tents and crashed. We finally made it to our destination and met up with the rest of the Troop.

The best part was the next morning. We got out of our tents around sunrise (still exhausted) and were only 50 yards away from the edge of the North Rim. What a beautiful sight! We made it!! But we had to go back to the beginning. We had to get on the right path.

I talk to shop owners all the time who are just worn out. On paper, they’ve “made it.” Their bays are full, their phones ring nonstop, and their calendars are packed. But underneath, here’s what’s really happening: They’re constantly busy but not truly profitable, their team is stressed, fighting, and burned out, they’ve attracted the wrong kind of customers — the ones who beat them up over price, second-guess every recommendation, and spend more time putting out fires than leading their business. Sound familiar?

Here’s the truth: being busy doesn’t mean you’re winning. Sometimes, being busy just means you’re running faster in the wrong direction.

Your “Why” Got Lost Along the Way! Remember why you opened your doors? To create freedom? To build a business you’re proud of? To provide a better life for your family? To give your team a great place to work?

Somewhere along the way, the day-to-day chaos buried that vision. You started saying yes to the wrong jobs, keeping the wrong employees, discounting your worth, and compromising your standards just to “keep the doors open.” And little by little, you drifted further from the shop you wanted to build.

Stop Doubling Down on What Isn’t Working

Let me give you some tough love: You don’t have to keep going down a path you know is wrong just because you’ve already invested time, money, or pride into it.

• That underperforming tech you’ve been “hoping will improve”? It’s time to have the hard conversation.

• That pricing strategy that’s keeping you busy but broke? It’s time to raise your rates and know your value.

• That customer who always complains and sucks the energy out of your shop? Fire them. Seriously.

I get it. Change is uncomfortable, but staying stuck is worse.

Draw the Line and Redefine the Goal

If you want a better business, you’ve got to decide where you’re headed. No more guessing. No more drifting.

• Set a vision for what your shop will look like in 3–5 years.

• Build a culture where your team wants to show up and customers actually respect your work.

• Know your numbers so you stop running blind.

Your shop should serve your life, not the other way around!

Better Life. Better Business. Better Industry.

When you choose to turn around and start heading in the right direction, everything changes:

• A better life comes when you have time for the people and things that matter most.

• A better business comes when you build systems, price your work right, and lead with purpose.

• A better industry comes when shop owners like us raise the bar and refuse to settle for “good enough.”

It starts with you making the decision to stop tolerating less than what you set out to build.

Here’s the Bottom Line

You don’t have to keep walking down the wrong path just because you’ve been on it for a while. Every day you wait, you’re drifting further from the shop — and the life — you actually want.

So ask yourself: Are you proud of the business you’re running? Does it serve your goals, or are you serving it? If you keep doing what you’re doing for the next 5 years, will you be happy with where you end up?

If the answer is no, today is the day you decide to turn around.

Because sometimes, the smartest move isn’t pushing harder… …it’s choosing a different direction.