Don't Let AI Innovation Kill Your Business

My business partner and I agree on almost everything. After three years building Orbit together, we rarely clash on strategy, hiring, or priorities. But there's one tension that surfaces constantly: when does innovation become distraction?Our company values spell out SPACE: Spark, Pioneering, Accountability, Collaboration, Excellence. We believe in staying ahead of the curve, especially with AI. But here's where we debate: pioneering matters only if it serves your actual constraint.

‍The Theory of Constraints in 60 Seconds

‍At any given time, only one bottleneck limits your business growth. Think of a highway with multiple lanes. You can add capacity everywhere, but if one chokepoint backs up traffic, nothing else matters. Growth comes from fixing that single constraint, not optimizing non-constraints.The insight that changed my thinking: cash creates potential, more than “potential” creates potential. Solve the short‑term constraint, generate cash, and suddenly you have the resources to fix bigger problems. Dollars are the currency that open doors.You can theorize about AI workflows all day, but until those resources are directed at your actual bottleneck, growth stalls.

‍The AI Trap for Leaders

‍This is where executives get seduced. AI adoption feels important - and it is. But it's dangerously easy to get distracted if AI isn't solving your real constraint.You need awareness of what's possible with AI so you can evaluate whether it addresses your bottleneck. But don't drink so much Kool-Aid that drinking Kool-Aid becomes the point. Your business exists to deliver customer value, not showcase technology.

‍The Only Two Equations That Matter

‍Every business reduces to sales and fulfillment. If you can't fulfill more, get better at fulfillment. If you can't sell more, get better at sales. Everything else is expensive theater until the constraint gets fixed.AI only matters if it unlocks your actual choke point. Maxed out on delivery capacity? AI that speeds up fulfillment workflows could transform growth. But if your constraint is demand generation, building sophisticated service delivery automation systems won't move the needle.

‍Three Questions Before AI Adoption

‍Before your team gets excited about the latest AI tool, ask:

1. What exactly is our current constraint? Sales, fulfillment, staffing, demand?
2. Can AI realistically improve this bottleneck today? Not theoretically… today. (The answer is actually often yes, but it's still worth double checking.)
3. Are we pioneering for impact or distracting ourselves with novelty?

Pioneering remains valuable because it keeps you alert to breakthrough solutions. But pioneering without constraint focus burns resources that could unlock real growth.The executives who deploy AI successfully understand this paradox: you have to ignore most AI opportunities to capitalize on the right ones.Fix the constraint first. Then pioneering turns from a liability into real leverage.

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