Opportunity → Problem → Repeat:

Ever tried packing your entire life into a small cargo trailer and moving cross country? 

10/10 do not recommend… unless you want a masterclass in small business survival.

Because guess what? That trailer is your business. And moving day? That’s every dang day as a founder.

We’re packing for our move to Texas. And by “we,” I mostly mean my husband, who basically turned an empty cargo trailer into a live-action adult version of Tetris.

Every box was a different shape.
Every square inch had to be maximized.
Every decision had consequences.

• What fits where?
• Is the weight balanced?
• What do we absolutely need vs. what can get left behind?
• And of course, how many times can we repack this before we both lose our minds?

Except instead of colorful blocks, it was bins of kitchen gadgets, furniture, and my entire business office. 

And instead of “game over,” the stakes were much higher, like ending up stranded on the side of the highway somewhere in New Mexico halfway through our 30-hour drive if we got it wrong.

Because one bad weight distribution decision and poof, there go the axles. (And nobody wants to explain to AAA why their whole life is scattered across I-20.)

At one point, I looked at him and thought, “THIS is exactly what business ownership looks like.”

Tetris: Entrepreneur Edition.

Running a business is just solving one weird puzzle after another, isn’t it?

You pursue an opportunity.
That opportunity creates a problem.
You solve the problem.
Boom – new opportunity.

And that’s not failure. That’s literally the job.

You land a new client. Awesome! Now you need better onboarding.

You build a killer new offer. Amazing! Now you have to figure out fulfillment capacity.

You hire your first team member.  Woohoo! Now you’ve got payroll, leadership, and communication dynamics to manage.

Every opportunity births a problem. Every problem creates space for the next opportunity.

So how do you know which opportunities are worth pursuing?

Here’s my own quick “packing your business-trailer” strategy:

1. Check the weight limit: Will this stretch your capacity in a way that aligns with your long-term goals? Or will it overload you right now?
   
   Not every shiny idea fits, some things need to wait for trip #2.
2. Consider balance: Will this create lopsided growth? For example, more clients without systems = more chaos. More offers without marketing = wasted effort.
   
   Look for moves that strengthen your whole business ecosystem.
3. Play Tetris intentionally: Test, shift, repack. Just like Joel rearranging the trailer 47 times, you may have to try a few configurations before you find the one that works.
   
   Give yourself permission to adjust.
4. Use your cargo nets (aka systems): Systems are what hold everything together when the road gets bumpy.
   
   If your systems aren’t strong, even the best opportunities will slide around and create more mess.

And finally, normalize this:

• Feeling like “I thought this would be easier by now.”
• Wondering “Why is there another problem already?”
• Looking at other business owners and thinking “Am I doing this wrong?”

That is not a sign you’re failing. That’s a sign you’re growing.

At EVERY level of business, this cycle repeats. The only difference is the size of the metaphorical trailer.

Your challenge this week:

Look at what feels like your big problem right now.
Ask yourself:

• “What new opportunity created this?”
• “What is this trying to teach me about my systems, capacity, or priorities?”

👉 Then? Use your resources.

• Use the Biz-Strategy-Coach GPT to help map out how to pursue the next opportunity strategically.
• Use the CEO-Coach GPT to help brainstorm tactical solutions for the problem that opportunity created.

You don’t have to repack the trailer alone, friend. AI is sitting shotgun.