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