Carrots, Rabbit Trails, and a Little Valentine's Day Clarity
Topics Rattling Around in My Brain
First, Happy Valentine’s Day! ❤️
Valentine’s Day is all about celebrating what (and who) we love. But love isn’t just about relationships—it’s also about loving the work we do, the goals we set, and the businesses we build. And that means staying clear on what truly matters instead of getting lost in distractions.
At Attainable Vision LLC dba Business for Nerds, we help people build businesses they love—without (too many) unnecessary rabbit trails. As a neurodivergent person, I know that some rabbit trails are essential—they keep my business and life fun!
Carrots and Rabbit Trails
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about carrots and rabbit trails—a concept that keeps showing up in my conversations about business, marketing, and decision-making.
with Build with Jake, describes it like this:A carrot is the clear, tangible thing that draws people in—the thing they know they want.
A rabbit trail is everything else they stumble into along the way, often leading to confusion, overwhelm, or wasted effort.
For example, many therapists think they need marketing help, so they start searching for tactics like how to set up a social media page or design a logo. But if that page doesn’t clearly show what they do and who they help, then it may become a bit of a rabbit trail—something that feels productive but doesn’t actually help them get closer to where they want to be in business.
People need to see and engage with that page, and if the message isn’t clear, they won’t.
A strong business (or even just a strong day) is built on clarity over distraction—on focusing on the right carrots instead of chasing endless rabbit trails.
Getting Too Attached to an Offer = Another Rabbit Trail
Getting too attached to a single “offer” can create another rabbit trail. If we force people into pre-set offers, we may overlook what they actually need.
🔹 Some people don’t want a cohort or an accelerator.
🔹 Maybe they just need one coaching session—and that’s enough.
That’s where collapsing time to target with personalized business coaching makes a difference. Instead of pushing people into a rigid framework, we meet them where they are and give them what they actually need to move forward.
What’s Your Carrot?
A new podcast guest, Dan Johnson and I recently talked about this, and my coach and I discuss it often—because let’s be real, I’ve chased plenty of rabbit trails myself!
Jake Anderson also shared a great example:
📌 In his business, his carrot is the website. That’s the core thing he helps people with. Yes, message clarity is important, but his main offer is web design. His clients already know their problem—they need an optimized website.
📌 For therapists, the carrot is counseling. People seek therapy for a clear need, whether it’s anxiety, trauma, or personal growth. They likely already understand their problem.
📌 Coaching, however, is different. People who need coaching often don’t know they need it or aren’t fully clear on their stuck points. That makes it harder to market. (I talked about this in my post last week!)
So today, I’m reminding myself to focus on my carrots—the real, clear priorities that move my life and business forward—rather than getting lost in rabbit trails that don’t actually serve me.
Speaking of Carrots... 🥕
I couldn’t help but think of Looney Tunes when I was writing this, so I found this classic Bugs Bunny clip:
📺 Warner Bros. (n.d.). 14 Carrot Rabbit - Looney Tunes [Video].
📌 Watch here:
What about you?
What are your carrots right now?
Where are you chasing rabbit trails?
Drop a comment—I’d love to hear your thoughts!
📢 For more on this topic, check out my episode with Jake Anderson
💡 Stay nerdy!
— Dr. Brie Willey
PS: Jake just wrote a post about his theory. Check that out here. I am listening to it now and it is GOLD! 🥇