When business growth plateaus, many founders succumb to the temptation to tear it all down: overhauling software, changing brand names, or pivoting their business model entirely.

But that's a huge mistake that lands you right back at zero.

On this episode of The Founder's Growth Show, host John Hill, AKA Small Mountain, sits down with Makena Finger Zannini, Founder and Fractional COO at The Boutique COO, to break down why drastic resets are often emotional escapes from hard work, and how iterative, feedback-driven tweaks lead to long-term operational resilience.

Makena discusses the key difference between high-level advisory consultants and embedded fractional COOs, how to separate true market signals from noisy customer feedback, and why the 80/20 rule is essential for process implementation.

They also explore scenario-based financial forecasting, managing change across growing teams, and how to build a mental board of directors to keep your leadership grounded.

If you know something needs to change and think starting over is the only choice, this interview will help you reframe your options.

Connect with Makena:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/makena-finger-zannini-7291981b0/

Website: https://www.theboutiquecoo.com/

Connect with me:

Newsletter: https://podcast.adaptedgrowth.com/podcast

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnblanehill/

Website: https://adaptedgrowth.com/