The 3 Problems Every Business Must Solve
Every Business Has One of Three Problems. Which One Is Yours?
I was sitting in a conference room out in Seattle, genuinely asking myself — what am I doing? Is this really where we’re going?
I’d been running a decent digital agency for years. We were doing a few million a year. We had clients. We were buying Google ads, running Facebook campaigns, and some people were winning and some weren’t. But something felt off. It felt like we were just a little machine grinding through transactions, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that there had to be more to it than that.
That moment of reflection changed everything for me. And honestly, it’s probably why you’re reading this right now.
What I Noticed About the Businesses That Actually Win
When I started looking at the brands that were making real impact — not just making noise, but building something that lasts — I noticed they all had one thing in common.
They had a process in place to lead people through the entire customer journey.
Not just get a click. Not just close a sale. The whole thing — from the very first moment someone becomes aware they exist, all the way through to that customer telling their friends, leaving a five-star review, and coming back again and again.
That’s what became the foundation of Intent Company. And it starts with understanding which of these three problems your business is actually dealing with right now.
Problem 1: Awareness
If you’re a newer company or you just haven’t gotten traction yet, this is most likely your problem. People don’t know you exist.
That means your marketing energy needs to go toward attracting the right people and making sure they know who you are, what you do, and why it matters to them. You can have the best product or service in the world, but if nobody knows about it, it doesn’t matter.
Awareness isn’t just about running ads or posting on social media. It’s about showing up in the right places, for the right people, with the right message — consistently.
Problem 2: Action
Now, if you’re getting traffic — people are landing on your website, following your content, maybe even booking calls — but you’re not seeing the sales you need, you have a conversion problem.
This is where so many businesses get stuck. They’re not invisible. They’re just not compelling enough at the moment of decision. And here’s what I’ve seen over nearly 20 years in this space: the solution usually isn’t more traffic. It’s a clearer, more intentional path from interest to action.
Think about what happens when someone is ready to take that next step with you. Is the path obvious? Is the offer clear? Do they trust you enough to move forward? If the answer to any of those is “maybe,” that’s your work to do.
Problem 3: Advocacy — The One Most Brands Completely Ignore
This is the one that most businesses never even think about, and it’s the one that separates good brands from truly great ones.
Are your customers talking about you?
Not just satisfied. Not just repeat buyers. Are they raving fans who bring other people through the door without you having to pay for it?
When I started thinking about marketing this way — awareness, action, and advocacy — it brought a completely different level of purpose to the work. Because it stopped being about transactions and started being about transformation. It’s about understanding the intent of your best customers and doing everything you can to serve them so well that they become the most powerful marketing channel you have.
That’s actually where the name Intent Company comes from. We’re focused on the intent of your customers — where they are in their journey, what they need next, and how to lead them all the way through.
So Where Does Your Business Stand Right Now?
Here’s the honest question I want you to sit with:
At this moment in your business, which one of these three problems is the most urgent?
Awareness: Not enough of the right people know you exist.Action: People are showing interest but not converting.Advocacy: Customers are buying, but they’re not coming back or referring anyone.
Most businesses try to fix all three at once and end up making progress on none of them. The smartest move is to get clear on your biggest constraint right now and go after that one first.
The Customer Journey Is the Strategy
I spent a lot of my early years in this industry watching smart people spin their wheels because they were focused on tactics — this ad platform, that funnel template, this social channel. And tactics aren’t bad. But without understanding the full customer journey, they’re just expensive experiments.
What changed the game for me — and for the clients we work with at Intent Company — was stepping back and asking: What is the full path to purchase that our best customers actually take? And then building everything around that path.
That’s the work. And it’s worth it.
Ready to Get Clear on Your Customer Journey?
If you’re not sure which problem is holding your business back right now, or you want help mapping out what your full customer journey should look like, let’s talk. We work with brands every day to build clarity around exactly this — so your marketing actually moves people toward becoming raving fans, not just one-time buyers.
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