In the biblical story of Moses, the burning bush was a moment of divine interruption - a call to stop, pay attention, and confront what truly mattered.

In business, burning bushes don’t look like miracles. They look like unpaid invoices piling up. They sound like late-night calls from staff who can’t make a decision without you. They feel like tight cash flow, underpriced work, or a team running in circles.

But here’s the catch: most business owners don’t stop. They get busier. They add more services, hire prematurely, tweak their logo, or “just need one more good month” to turn things around.

The problem? You can’t scale a house that’s on fire.

This post is your call to stop, look directly at what’s burning, and tackle the real problem before chasing growth that won’t stick.

1. What Is a Burning Bush Moment in Business?

A burning bush moment isn’t always loud or dramatic - it’s often a subtle but persistent issue that just won’t go away.

It might be:

• Clients paying late (again).
  

• Constant quoting with poor conversion.
  

• Staff turnover that leaves you drained.
  

• A profit margin that disappears when you actually do the math.

The danger isn’t just the problem itself. It’s what happens when you normalize it. Over time, many business owners build elaborate systems, teams, and marketing campaigns around an unstable foundation - like building a second story while the ground floor is on fire.

2. Why We Avoid the Real Issue

Facing the fire is uncomfortable. Often, the root issue challenges your sense of identity as a business owner.

• “If I raise prices, people will stop buying.”
  

• “If I stop doing this task, my team will drop the ball.”
  

• “If I admit I’m overwhelmed, I’ll look weak.”

Instead, we double down on activity. We stay “busy.” We fix symptoms, not causes. And when that doesn’t work fast enough, we look for new strategies, new staff, or new distractions.

But without facing the real issue, growth won’t last. You’ll just create a bigger, more complicated version of the same problem.

3. Common Burning Bushes in Small Business

Over hundreds of coaching sessions, the same handful of root issues tend to show up - again and again:

1. Undercharging or Scope Creep

You’re doing too much for too little. Even as revenue grows, profits stay flat.

2. No Financial Visibility

You don’t know your numbers - cash flow, margins, or capacity. You’re driving blind.

3. Owner Bottleneck

Everything flows through you. Approvals, quoting, hiring. You’re the linchpin, and it’s not sustainable.

4. Unqualified Leads or Poor Sales Process

You’re quoting for people who were never going to say yes, and wasting hours in the process.

5. Team Misalignment

You have people on the payroll, but you still feel like you're doing all the heavy lifting.

4. How to Actually Face the Fire

You don’t need to solve every problem at once. But you do need to choose one and stop ignoring it.

Here’s a practical way to start:

• Name the Pattern: What keeps coming up? What frustrates you weekly?
  

• Quantify the Cost: How much money, time, or mental energy is this costing?
  

• Name the Fear: What story are you telling yourself about why this can’t be fixed?

From there, shift into action mode. Not with a 20-point plan - but one clear decision that addresses the root. That might mean raising your base rates, turning away unqualified work, sitting down with your bookkeeper, or clarifying your team’s roles.

The key is to stop tolerating the fire - and start extinguishing it.

5. Why Coaching Works: Solving the Right Problem at the Right Time

One of the biggest mistakes business owners make? They work hard on the wrong problem at the wrong time.

That’s where business coaching comes in.

At Butler & Co, we help clients sequence the right work in the right order - using a flexible framework we call First, Next, Then. It’s not a strict formula, but a proven approach that helps us meet you where you are and move forward with clarity.

First – Put Out the Fire
In the early weeks, we focus on immediate relief. Whether it’s a cash crunch, quoting bottleneck, or team overload, we work on stabilising the urgent issues first - so you can breathe again and make clearer decisions.

Next – Build Stability
Once there’s some breathing room, we shift to building repeatable systems: pricing, forecasting, service delivery, sales processes and the team meeting rhythms needed to run a more predictable business.

Then – Scale with Confidence
With the foundations in place, we move toward the bigger goal: scaling profitably, reducing owner-dependency, and designing a business that supports your ideal lifestyle.

This model isn’t always linear. Some clients cycle back to “First” when big changes hit. Others build and scale in overlapping waves. That’s normal. Coaching works because it’s grounded in real business life - not a rigid playbook.

The goal is simple: create momentum, build capacity and help you stay focused on the work that moves your business forward.

6. Claudio’s Story: From Cash Fire to Control

Claudio ran a successful service business - but beneath the surface, he was weeks away from a cash crisis.

In his first coaching session, we didn’t talk about marketing. We didn’t build a 5-year plan.

We pulled out the numbers, simplified his pricing, and stopped the bleeding.

Within 30 days, Claudio:

• Increased pricing on unprofitable services.
  

• Paused low-yield quoting that was draining time.
  

• Built a basic forecast to track cash 90 days ahead.
  

Relief came first. Then we rebuilt from there. Today, Claudio’s business is profitable, he’s back in control, and he’s building a team to support the next stage of growth.

7. Is It Time to Stop and Look at the Fire?

If any of this resonates, here’s the truth: the burning bush isn’t a failure. It’s an invitation.

It’s a signal that something deeper needs your attention - and that addressing it could unlock the freedom, clarity, and confidence you’ve been chasing through surface-level fixes.

You don’t have to navigate this alone.

Ready to Put Out the Fire?

If you’re facing one of these burning issues and want a clear, calm plan to move forward, I invite you to book a time with me to explore business coaching.

We’ll talk through where you’re stuck, what’s not working, and map out your First, Next, and Then. No pressure. Just clarity.

Book a time to speak with Trent here

Your business can be calm, profitable and under control. You just need to start at the right place.