Alex asks: "I'm getting leads, but it only works if I'm constantly chasing people. If I take my foot off the gas for even a few days, everything slows down. I didn't start this business to live inside my inbox. How do you build a follow-up system that doesn't feel cold or robotic, but also doesn't require me to personally remember every conversation?"

In this episode, Scott reveals why Alex's real problem isn't follow-up automation—it's that he's still the salesperson and the business bottleneck. You'll learn the Braided River system for combining humans and automation (humans for active leads, automation for dead leads, humans again when they raise their hand), hear Scott's sports team consulting story about fixing low contact rates, and understand why the business will only grow to Alex's capabilities as long as he's stuck in the inbox.

The bottom line: Build the system. Get yourself out of it. The braided river works—but only if you're not the one personally doing all the rowing.

Got a business question? Ask Scott here: scotttodd.net/ask

Jessica asks: "I've been hovering around $10,000 a month for a very long time now, and it's starting to mess with my head. Every month I tell myself, this is the month it finally moves. And then I look at the numbers and it's basically the same again. I'm working all the time. If I step back even a little, things slow down. If I stay fully involved, we hit $10,000 again. Is this the upper limit of my business?"

In this episode, Scott reveals why revenue plateaus aren't ceilings—they're capacity constraints in your systems, how to use the "weakest link" framework to diagnose where you're stuck, and why adding more people or leads is the wrong answer. You'll hear Scott's own bottleneck discovery (26% more website traffic but zero lead growth), learn how to walk through your business step-by-step to find constraints, and understand why doing more with what you have beats adding more resources every time.

The bottom line: Your business isn't at its ceiling. Your systems are. Find the bottleneck, remove it, watch revenue flow to the next constraint, then repeat. That's plateau busting mode.

Got a business question? Ask Scott here: https://scotttodd.net/ask

David asks: "I started my business 11 months ago and it's still losing money. I'm sure it's just the startup stage—my sales haven't caught up to my expenses yet. I feel like I just need more sales, but I'm bleeding cash. I think I'm lean. You'll tell me to cut expenses, but I don't want to cut marketing, VAs, or technology. If I cut those, I've wasted my time."

In this episode, Scott reveals why "I just need more sales" is rarely the right answer when you're bleeding cash, how to distinguish between investments (marketing that returns multiples) and expenses (overhead that doesn't), and why protecting sunk costs will kill your business faster than cutting them. You'll hear Scott's own lean startup story about managing leads with index cards, learn how to think about VAs correctly (per-task, not per-month), and face the stark choice every bootstrap founder must make: lose your time investment or lose your business.

The bottom line: Cut expenses now. Protect the dream, not the automations. You can always rebuild systems—you can't rebuild a dead business.

Got a business question? Ask Scott here: scotttodd.net/ask

In this episode of Fix My Business, Scott Todd tackles a fear that keeps many business owners stuck in the "messy middle": the fear of raising prices. Responding to a question from Robert, a landlord with 12 units who is terrified to increase rent for long-term tenants, Scott reveals why "playing nice" with your pricing is actually a recipe for business failure and a disservice to the very customers you’re trying to protect.

1. The Margin Hell Trap: Why stagnant pricing leads to unhealthy margins that prevent you from reinvesting in your business.
2. The "Injustice" of Low Prices: How failing to raise rates leads to deferred maintenance and a lower quality of service (or living) for your clients.
3. The Market Shock Factor: Why small, incremental increases are actually kinder to customers than waiting years and hitting them with a massive "catch-up" hike.
4. Universal Application: Why this isn't just for real estate—it applies to car detailing, lawn care, land investing, and professional services.

1. [00:00] – The Question: "I'm terrified to raise rents because I don't want my tenants to leave."
2. [01:15] – Why every customer/tenant is replaceable and the danger of "Margin Hell."
3. [02:30] – The hidden cost of "below market" rates: Deferred maintenance and crumbling assets.
4. [03:45] – The Research: 4,800 listings that prove landlords are leaving money on the table.
5. [04:30] – Why the next owner of your business will raise rates instantly (and why you should do it first).
6. [05:50] – Final Advice: Don't be "super nice"—be a professional business owner.

1. Book: Fix This Next for Real Estate Investors by Scott Todd.
2. Submit Your Question: ScottTodd.net/ask

"You’re not doing them any justice by protecting them. Keep moving your feet." — Scott Todd

You just got a new lead. You are excited, ready to help, and you call them immediately. But they don't answer. You call again later—silence. Why do interested prospects suddenly vanish the moment you reach out?

In this episode of Fix My Business, Scott answers a question from Jennifer, whose leads are ghosting her despite her fast response time. Scott reveals why your "speed to lead" might actually be scaring your customers away and introduces a psychological approach to sales that will stop the ghosting.

The Core Problem: The "Pounce" Reflex

When a customer hits "submit" on a lead form, they often feel immediate doubt or fear. When you call them instantly with high energy, you aren't "serving" them—you are accidentally cornering them.

The Solution: Coax the Cat

Scott explains that skeptical buyers are like scared cats. If you run at them, they bolt. If you move slowly, lower your energy, and let them come to you, they will eventually eat out of your hand.

Key Takeaways:

• De-escalate the First Interaction: Stop asking for a phone call in the first email. Instead, ask low-stakes "curiosity" questions to lower their guard (e.g., "Are you just looking or ready to move?").
• The "One Size Fits All" Trap: Why you cannot have a single rigid sales script for every person.
• Segment Your Follow-up: How to separate the "fast movers" from the "scared buyers" so you don't annoy the former or frighten the latter.
• The 7-11 Rule: Why you need 7 to 11 interactions (touches) before a stranger trusts you enough to buy.
• Volume is King: Why ghosting often feels personal, but is actually just a numbers game.

Memorable Quote:

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Submit Your Question: stuck in the "messy middle" of business? Submit your question at ScottTodd.net/ask to be featured on the show.

Does every day in your business feel like Groundhog Day?

You fix a problem in the morning, only to turn around and see it broken again by the afternoon. You’re working harder than ever, but sales are stalling, headaches are multiplying, and you’re starting to wonder if you’re just bad at business.

In this episode, Scott answers a question from Chris, a business owner who feels like he’s drowning. Scott diagnoses the real issue: Chris isn’t failing; he’s just entered "The Muddy Mile."

This is the phase where your business hits its "teenage years." It’s awkward, it’s rebellious, and it demands your attention constantly because you haven’t built repeatability yet. Scott breaks down exactly how to stop the chaos—not by fixing everything at once, but by solving one blood-boiling problem at a time.

• The "Muddy Mile" Diagnosis: Why your business feels like it’s punching you in the face (and why it’s actually a sign of growth, not failure).
• The "Teenage Business" Metaphor: Understanding why your team is so dependent on you right now.
• The "Blood Boil" Method: How to identify which problem to solve first (Hint: It’s not always the biggest financial leak; it’s the one that annoys you the most).
• The "One-Page" Fix: A step-by-step script for documenting a process and getting your team to adhere to it without "malicious compliance."
• Escaping the Loop: How to finally stop the Groundhog Day cycle and move toward a scalable, hands-off business.

• Submit Your Question: Are you stuck in the messy middle? Send your question to Scott at scotttodd.net/ask
• Website: Fix My Business

You’ve trained your team. They handle the routine work just fine. But the second something weird happens—a bill with a missing address, a confusing email, a non-standard request—it lands right back on your desk.

In this episode, Scott answers a question from Kevin, a business owner stuck in the "two-minute fire drill" cycle. Scott explains why this isn't a competency problem; it's a visibility problem. The solution isn't to train harder; it's to stop teaching tasks and start teaching judgment. Learn how to build a "Decision Tree" for the 10% of tasks that break the rules, so your team can solve problems without you.

Key Takeaways:

• The "Happy Path" Trap: Most training only covers the 90% of scenarios where things go right. You need a specific plan for the "Edge Cases."
• Competency vs. Visibility: If your team performs well most of the time, they aren't incompetent—they are afraid. They lack the visibility into how you think.
• The 4-Step Decision Tree: Scott breaks down a simple framework to handle confusing bills or data:

1. Hunt for Clues: Scan for partial data (addresses, codes) to match against internal records.
2. Push Back: If the data is missing, email the vendor immediately asking for specifics (X, Y, Z).
3. The 48-Hour Rule: Wait. If no response, bump the request.
4. The Rejection: If the vendor fails to reply, reject the bill.

• The Psychology of Delegation: Your fear of fixing mistakes forever fuels their fear of making them. The only way out is a documented escape plan.

Memorable Quote:

"We can't teach people how to do things that aren't in the happy path. We have to teach them how we think."

Resources Mentioned:

• Submit Your Question: Stuck in the messy middle? Get your question answered on the show at scotttodd.net/ask

Ashley asks: "I've been trying to figure out what makes my business different from all the other investors in the market. We all sell similar properties and I don't know what makes me different other than price. Every competitor's website sounds exactly like mine and I hate it. How do I differentiate?"

In this episode, Scott reveals why competing on price is a race to zero and how to escape the Visibility Trap. You'll learn why you sound like your competitors (lack of audience clarity), how to use strategic choices to differentiate, and why picking a lane and committing to it for 6 months removes the fear of making the "wrong" decision.

You'll discover why strategy is simply "what you'll do and what you won't do," how Scott used this exact approach to differentiate his podcast, and the three questions you need to answer to define your unique audience and value proposition.

The bottom line: When you don't know who you serve, you compete on price. When you know who you serve, you compete on value.

Got a business question? Ask Scott here: scotttodd.net/ask