The Moment That Got Me Unstuck

By Charles Mathison

For a long time, I ran a company that sold behavioral health resources—DVDs, workbooks, relapse prevention tools, and motivational videos. These were tools designed to support people doing emotionally demanding work: probation officers, counselors, special educators, treatment center staff. It was meaningful work. And for years, it worked.

But slowly, almost quietly, the landscape changed.

DVD players disappeared. Agencies started demanding digital content. My orders dropped. Customers vanished.And honestly—I wasn’t sure if my business still had a place in this world.

I felt like I was holding onto something that no longer mattered. The tools I built with were becoming obsolete, and I didn’t know how to pivot. I didn’t even know if I should.

But something in me said: don’t walk away just yet. So I started the Founders Table Mastermind.

I didn’t come in with a plan. I didn’t have an elevator pitch. I had uncertainty—and a lot of questions. And I brought all of it to the table.

That’s when someone in the room said something that stopped me cold:

“Why don’t you psychoanalyze your customer?”

It was almost a throwaway comment. But it hit me hard.

I realized I’d been so focused on what I was trying to sell that I’d stopped thinking about what my customers were actually living through. Their stress. Their obstacles. Their context.

I had to ask myself:

What’s happening in their workday?

What’s stopping them from saying yes?

What does help look like in their current world?

That one shift opened up everything.

Suddenly, I had new product ideas—customized, modular, and easy to access. I wasn’t trying to convert old DVDs anymore. I was designing solutions for the people I knew best.

And then it hit me again: I had been trying to sell to everyone—schools, therapists, parents, correctional programs. It was too broad. Too scattered.

But I knew exactly where I should start: special education administrators. I am one.I know the systems, the timelines, the pressures. I know what makes a resource truly useful in that role.

That clarity—that elevator pitch—didn’t come from a whiteboard session.It came from being in the room. It came from showing up. It came from listening and being willing to rethink everything.

What I’ve Learned

Sometimes, we don’t need a perfect plan. We just need the right question—and the right space to explore it.

That’s what the Founders Table gave me.Not a shortcut, but a spark.

If you’re stuck, unsure, or starting over—don’t sit in it alone. Come to the table. Bring what you’ve got. Even if it’s messy.