The One Question That Changed My Business Forever

A few months ago, I hired a sales coach.
And honestly… I can’t imagine running my business without one now.

Five or six years ago, I didn’t get it. I used to think, “Why would you pay someone to tell you what you already know?”

But now I understand. Coaches collapse time. They help you see your blind spots, challenge your assumptions, and give you the perspective you didn’t even know you needed.

The Question That Stopped Me Cold

On one of our first calls, my coach asked me a question that hit me like a brick:

“What’s your biggest constraint?”

So I did what most business owners do—I started listing everything.
Time. People. Systems. Marketing. All of it.

He stopped me immediately.
“No, not all your constraints. What’s your biggest constraint?”

That’s when it clicked.

We all have a long list of problems. But not all problems matter equally.
And when we try to solve all of them at once, we don’t make progress—we just stay busy.

After a deeper conversation, my coach helped me see it clearly:

👉 My biggest constraint wasn’t systems.
It wasn’t marketing.
It wasn’t hiring.
It was sales.

He told me, “Once you eliminate that constraint, you’ll have more time and money to fix everything else.”
And he was absolutely right.

When you identify the one thing holding you back—and attack it—everything else gets easier.

Design vs. Business: Which One Actually Makes You Money?

A few weeks later, at our Secrets Summit in West Palm Beach, I was hanging out with a few of the guys after dinner when someone asked a fantastic question:

“What will help you make the most money in the shortest period of time—being better at design or being better at business?”

My gut reaction was 90% business, 10% design.

But after thinking about it, the real answer is closer to 75% business, 25% design.

Because here’s the truth:

You can be an incredible designer, but without business skills, you’ll always feel stuck.
Meanwhile, someone who’s just okay at design—but strong in business—can build an empire.

So Let Me Ask You… What’s Your Biggest Constraint?

Is it leads?
👉 Then your focus shouldn’t be on perfecting your lighting design—it should be on marketing.

Is it installs?
👉 Then your constraint is your team. Time to work on recruiting and culture.

Is it profit?
👉 Then your constraint is pricing and sales.

Whatever it is, focus on that one thing.

Don’t dabble in ten different areas.
Pick your true constraint and attack it with everything you've got.

Because the moment you break through your biggest constraint, you unlock growth in every other area of your business.

That’s exactly what I’m doing right now—and it feels incredible to finally be unstuck again.

Your Turn

So… what’s your constraint?
Hit reply and tell me. I’d genuinely love to hear it.

Keep Moving Forward,
—Ryan Lee

# business growth, biggest constraint, sales coach, productivity, leadership, entrepreneurship, bottleneck, business clarity, lighting business, Ryan Lee, marketing, team building, profit strategy #