Average is the New Bottom

Sep 19, 2025 Watch on YouTube

A warning shot to business owners: when fast, cheap tools raise the floor, average positioning becomes failure. The middle disappears, and fear keeps leaders stuck while the market surges past.

The coming year isn’t just another turn of the calendar. It’s the extinction event for businesses coasting on “good enough,” because fast, cheap pro tools have erased excuses. The average is now the bottom.

The old bell curve of performance has collapsed. Being passably professional once put you ahead of half the market, but that middle has been sliced away. Everyone can now look at least average.

Owners haven’t caught up to this shift. “This is fine” thinking masks a new floor they’re already standing on. A generation trained to fit in is now scared to move forward.

I'm James Archer.This is Why Firms Hire Me.

3 Decades in Marketing 20+ Years in the C-Suite Hundreds of Firms Advised

For nearly three decades, I’ve focused on marketing strategy and business growth. My journey was forged in the real world:

  • I’ve held C-level positions for 20+ years, so I understand the pressures you’re facing.
  • I ran a successful marketing agency for 12 years, so I know the service business grind intimately.
  • I’ve helped hundreds of businesses achieve strategic clarity, from startups to Fortune 500s, so I have deep experience doing exactly this work.
  • My work has been featured in major media outlets, including NPR, The New York Times, Inc. Magazine, Fast Company, and Entrepreneur.
  • I’ve delivered over 100 speaking engagements and written countless articles on what actually drives business success.