to what i call the slow death march, there's too much rationalization. there's too much, ah, it's just a couple of bad years. roto rooter is a bad example that something was conceived in 1935 and is still going strong in 2013. most brands don't last that long. where do brands get themselves in trouble? they go past prime. there's not much market share or growth left and instead of reinventing themselves, they just say let's work harder next year. let's trim some costs. unless you find a way to reinvent yourself, find new services or products, you're on a slow death march and in denial. you have employees counting on you not to do that. if you're past prime, own up to it and start making the right decisions because you either grow or you start dying.