Why Your Business Sometimes Needs an Uncomfortable Leap to Get ‘Unstuck’

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Key Takeaways

A break-even business with no growth path is already “dead,” so the downside of doing nothing is larger than it looks.
Investors won’t fund projected unit economics they haven’t seen proven, so you may have to prove them yourself before the capital arrives.

I have been working with a business that is basically “stuck” The business is doing OK, about break-even. But it is not growing and doesn’t have a current path to correct itself. That said, it has a great business opportunity in front of it, but investors do not want to fund the business, largely because the historical unit economics are not as profitable as the future unit economics projected, and that has investors feeling that it is a leap of faith farther than they are willing to jump.

They are looking at opening a new location, which will materially propel the business to new heights, maximizing revenues, profits and unit economics while proving it can successfully open a new market. The business needs $1 million to comfortably open this location but has only $500,000 to work with today. But sometimes a business has no choice but to take a big risk to get it “unstuck.”

Doing nothing is clearly the safest path in this scenario, as it will not put the company in a materially negative cash position, in terms of sources and uses of capital. Why take the risk of signing up for a project that you know will be 50% underfunded out of the gate, on the hope you will find the extra needed capital in the next few months to fill that gap; a financing that may never happen. At least today, the business is breaking even and has enough cash in the bank to meet its needs. Don’t do it!

If the business does nothing, it will never get itself “unstuck.” At the end of the day, who really wants to be running a break-even business? Executives are not being fully paid, which is demoralizing them, and investors are not seeing any growth story or cash distributions, so they are not happy either. The company is simply on the “hamster wheel,” running as fast as they can but making no material progress. That is not sustainable. Let’s do it!

By taking this risk, it will accomplish a lot of things for this company. It will put the business back into growth mode, which current investors will like. It will prove out the future unit economics and successfully open a new market, which future investors will like. It will materially increase the company’s profitability, enabling management to receive their full salaries. And it finally gets the business “unstuck,” taking it to the next level of growth. Let’s do it!

Risks wouldn’t be risks if they didn’t present downside disadvantages. If the company doesn’t secure the financing needed to cover the shortfall in the next few months, it could go out of business with no cash in the bank. And by adding this new location, the business is also taking on a long-term lease liability that will persist for years to come. And there is no guarantee that this new location will perform the way you hope, so if anything falls short of plan, it will further exacerbate this liquidity crunch. Don’t do it!

The final analysis

You can see why this situation is causing management to lose sleep. They are damned if they do, and they are damned if they don’t. Nine times out of ten, I would always go down the conservative path, and not unnecessarily put the business at risk with no cash cushion to work with.

But in this case, the business is already in jeopardy; it is not fun or economically rewarding for anyone involved, which is another way of saying it is “dead” already. Sometimes you need to take the leap of faith that everything will work out in the end. It may be painfully uncomfortable for the next year, holding your breath, wondering how you are going to make ends meet. But if you can endure the next year of ramping up the new location, the business should be in a much better position by then. That’s a position that you would never have achieved had you not taken the risk. And, in the worst-case scenario of not raising funding and the company is forced out of business, maybe that is the outcome you were heading towards anyway in your current “stuck” form.

“Go big, or go home”, in this case, as the upside far outweighs the downside, which is not materially different than where the business was today.

Closing thoughts

As you study your own businesses, figure out if you are “stuck” or not. Are your revenues flat? Are your profits break-even or less? Are you attractive to investors in your current form? Is your staff fully compensated and happy? Are your current investors seeing a clear path to a return on their investment? Depending on your answers, you will be a good candidate to take an “uncomfortable” leap to get your business “unstuck”.

Key Takeaways

A break-even business with no growth path is already “dead,” so the downside of doing nothing is larger than it looks.
Investors won’t fund projected unit economics they haven’t seen proven, so you may have to prove them yourself before the capital arrives.

Effective product pages help online shoppers decide whether an item fits their needs and what buying it involves. A beautiful photograph gets attention. Product details such as dimensions, available sizes, delivery details, and a clear price help turn that attention into a purchase.

Even established retailers miss these basics. In its benchmark of leading U.S. and European retailers, updated in March 2026, Baymard Institute rated 52% of desktop sites and 62% of mobile sites “mediocre or worse” for product-page usability¹.

Product-page changes can affect revenue, too. In a 27-day test for Life Pro Fitness, agency Media Contour made product images, key details, and buying buttons visible without needing to scroll. Testing vendor Wingify reported that the revised page generated $0.67 more revenue per visitor than the original².

If you are building a new store, follow the five tips below as you create your product pages. Have those pages ready before running ads that send shoppers to them.

If you already have an online store, choose one product page to improve. Reference these steps to check whether it answers shoppers’ questions and lets them add the right item to their cart.

1. Answer shoppers’ questions in the product description

Identify the main question a shopper needs answered before buying. Look for questions customers ask repeatedly or misunderstandings behind returns. For a new product, start with fit, compatibility, or what is included. Confirm the answer against your product specifications, then put it near the start of the description.

For example, consider a pet-supply retailer selling a dog harness. Someone choosing their first harness needs measurements and adjustment details to judge the fit. Someone replacing a harness they already own needs to recognize the same model and size. The page should make both tasks straightforward.

Also, use consistent labels and units across similar products to make comparisons easier. Include limitations, such as incompatible models or items sold separately, so shoppers can rule out an unsuitable purchase.

In e-commerce platform BigCommerce, for instance, online sellers can use the product description and custom fields—additional facts such as material or compatibility—to present these details. Preview the product page to check that shoppers can find the information they need.

Then, use those same facts to help shoppers recognize the item in search results. In BigCommerce’s page title field, use the product name and a relevant detail, such as its model or material. Avoid repeating keywords or giving every product the same title.

2. Give every product image a question to answer

Plan your gallery around what someone needs to inspect. Show the whole product, a useful detail, and the product in use. For example, a lighting retailer could photograph a lamp beside a chair to show its scale and how it lights a reading space. A close-up of the switch shows how someone would operate it. Together, these images help shoppers picture using the lamp at home. Keep written dimensions available as well.

The same Baymard overview describes how shoppers use images to judge size and can struggle when photographs lack a familiar reference.

If you sell a bundle, make clear which pictured items are included. For products that need assembly or demonstration, you might even consider creating a short video. Add alt text: a short description of the useful information in an image. Screen-reader software can read that description aloud or present it in braille. Keep essential instructions available as text as well.

BigCommerce supports product images, images for variants such as different colors, and YouTube-hosted product videos. Check that your gallery presents the right item as shoppers change their selection.

3. Make choices, prices, and recurring charges clear

Keep size, color, quantity, and purchase options close to the buying button. Label them plainly, show the current selection, and make unavailable choices recognizable. If the size options fit on the screen, show them as labeled buttons, such as S, M, and L. This lets shoppers see which sizes are available without opening a menu, as the Baymard overview explains.

Place helpful links beside the choice it explains. For the dog harness, for example, consider putting a measurement guide beside the size selector so shoppers can check the fit before choosing. Keep it visible or provide a clearly labeled link that works by touch and keyboard.

In BigCommerce, online sellers can configure choices such as size and color through product variants and options. Then check that the displayed price and availability match the shopper’s selection. For multipacks, show both the pack total and the unit price. Make the full pack price easy to find so shoppers know what they will be charged.

If you offer subscriptions, let shoppers explicitly choose between a one-time purchase and a recurring order. Put the recurring charge, delivery frequency, and change or cancellation terms beside that choice so shoppers can compare the commitments before selecting. Confirm that these terms match how your subscription service works. Select a subscription yourself and verify that checkout shows the plan, price, and frequency you chose.

4. Make sure delivery, returns, and reviews are easy to find

A shopper who needs an item by a particular date wants to know whether it will arrive in time. Show a delivery estimate for their destination. Put a short explanation of shipping and returns near add to cart, with links to the full policies.

Show shipping fees or explain how they will be calculated. Clearly describe return windows, fees, and exclusions that matter for the item. If pickup is offered, distinguish stock at the selected location from stock elsewhere. Avoid presenting an estimate as a confirmed promise.

Also consider making reassurances that are specific to the purchase. Using the dog harness as an example again, you’d want to explain whether a shopper can exchange it if the fit is wrong and which conditions apply. That answers the practical concerns that a badge saying “Shop with Confidence” leaves unresolved. Use only promises your business can honor.

Customer reviews provide another way to assess the product. Show the review rating, text, reviewer’s display name, and date on the relevant product page. If reviews come from another service, name that service. These details help shoppers understand whose experience they are reading and how recent it is.

5. Test the path from product page to cart

Shoppers need to know that the page has registered their choices and whether adding an item succeeded. Open your chosen product page on your phone. If a required option starts unselected, try adding the item before choosing it. The page should tell you what to select or explain why “Add to cart” is unavailable.

If the product has options, choose them, then change one selection. Check that the price, availability, and any option-specific images match. Add the item. While the request is processing, the page should make that clear. Once it succeeds, a confirmation or the cart itself should show what was added. If an error occurs, it should explain how to continue without losing other selections.

From there, make sure to check the item’s quantity, options, and price in the cart. If you chose a size or color, return to the product page and check whether it still shows that selection. These checks help catch a wrong selection or an uncertain result before a shopper encounters it.

Shoppers who cannot use a mouse need to select options and add products using a keyboard. To check that they can, repeat the steps above on a computer without the mouse. Use Tab to move forward between controls and Shift+Tab to move back. A visible outline or other marker should show which control you are about to use. Press Enter to activate links and Enter or Space for buttons. In a drop-down list, such as a size selector, use the arrow keys to move through the options.

Shoppers who need larger text must still be able to read product details and reach Add to cart. Use the browser’s Zoom control to enlarge the page to 200% and try the same steps again. Check for overlapping text or controls that disappear. Across all these checks, record anything that prevents choosing the product, adding it, or correcting a mistake.

Keep improving one page at a time

Clear facts and images help shoppers judge the product; clear choices, terms, and working controls help them act on that decision. Choose one issue from your review to fix first. Give priority to a problem that prevents adding the correct item to the cart. If shoppers can add the correct item, address an unanswered question that could lead someone to buy the wrong product.

Record what you changed and when. If you have sales reports, compare purchases and revenue for the product over equal periods before and after the change. Note any promotions or changes in visitor numbers that could also explain the results. Customer questions, order corrections, and return reasons can help you check whether the same misunderstanding persists.

For more examples, explore BigCommerce’s product-page guide, then apply the same review to the next product page.

¹^{Product Page UX 2026: 10 Pitfalls and Best Practices}^{(Baymard Institute)
2}^{Media Contour uses split URL testing to improve the revenue from product pages}^(Wingify)