Is Cancer Good or Bad?

We all know what cancer is—uncontrolled growth that ultimately kills its host.

But here’s the twist: from a cellular perspective, cancer isn’t evil. It’s simply… confused.

Somewhere along the way, the cell got the idea that growth was the goal. Not function. Not balance. Not contribution. Just growth.

And that confusion? It’s fatal.

Cancer keeps growing until it kills the host—and by doing so, kills itself. Slow or fast, it’s always suicide masked as success.

Sound Familiar?

It should.

Because the same thing happens in business all the time.

We start our companies—our practices—with passion. With purpose. We want to make something better, serve someone deeply, create something meaningful.

But somewhere along the way, many businesses start chasing growth for growth’s sake.

• More revenue.

• More clients.

• More locations.

• More… everything.

Until the very thing that made it great—the mission, the heart, the reason you started in the first place—gets lost.

Growth ≠ Life

Growth is part of life. It’s essential. But it’s not the same as life.

On a cellular level, life includes:

• Repair

• Communication

• Contribution

• Rest

Same in business:

• Operational health

• Communication and culture

• Sustainable financial strategy

• Joy in the work

Growth that’s not paired with purpose, systems, and sustainability? That’s not life. It’s dysfunction. It’s cancer.

And just like in the body, unchecked growth in your business can:

• Exhaust your resources

• Confuse your team

• Blow up your costs

• Destroy your joy

• And eventually… collapse the whole thing

The Cure: A Strong Immune System

Here’s the good news. Your business—just like your body—has its own version of T-cells and natural killer cells.

It can fight off toxic growth.

You can build in ways to monitor, manage, and redirect energy from more to meaningful.

You just need the right immune system.

Let’s look at 5 simple actions to start reversing “business cancer” and restore health, profitability, and peace in your company or practice.

1. Define Your Vital Signs

In medicine, we check blood pressure, temperature, heart rate. In business, we need vital signs too, and not just revenue.

That’s like only checking weight to see if someone is healthy.

Instead, track things like:

• Profit margin: Are you actually keeping money?

• Owner's time freedom: Can you take a vacation?

• Team energy: Are people thriving or burning out?

• Client retention: Are you creating loyalty?

• Cash flow: Can you sleep easy at night knowing your bases are covered?

Growth might mask issues short-term. But your vital signs don’t lie.

2. Replace “More” with “Meaningful”

Growth often shows up as addiction to more:

• More marketing

• More offerings

• More locations

But more isn’t always better.

Ask instead:

• What clients do we love working with?

• Which services make us proud and profitable?

• What activities give us energy, not drain us?

Cut or redesign the rest.

Let your “killer cells” remove anything not aligned with your core health.

3. Install Financial Guardrails

Just like the immune system attacks invaders, your financial systems should alert you to danger.

That means:

• Use Profit First to make sure growth doesn’t bankrupt you.

• Pay yourself a real owner’s wage.

• Automate savings and taxes so you’re never caught off guard.

• Set up a “no new expenses without review” rule during growth phases.

Your financial guardrails don’t stop you from growing—but they ensure you grow wisely.

4. Schedule Space to Think

Cancer cells multiply wildly. They don’t pause. They don’t reflect.

Sound familiar?

When your calendar has no white space, your team is always firefighting, and you’re saying yes out of fear, your company is already sick.

The antidote?

• A CEO day weekly or biweekly

• Strategic retreats quarterly

• Decision filters: Does this serve the mission?

Don’t confuse motion with momentum. Thinking is a power move.

5. Reignite Your Mission

Cancer forgets its role. It forgets the system it’s a part of.

Same with business.

When was the last time you sat with:

• Why you started?

• What you wanted your life to look like?

• Who you really want to help?

• How you want your company to feel?

Write it down. Share it with your team. Post it on your wall.

Then use it as your compass.

Because a business without a mission is just a machine—and eventually, machines break.

Final Thought: Cancer Isn’t “Bad” – It’s Misguided

The same is true for growth.

It’s not bad to grow. But it is dangerous to grow without clarity.

So let’s stop measuring success by how fast we grow, and start asking:

• Are we growing in the right direction?

• Are we growing what matters?

• Are we building a business—and a life—we want to keep?

Your Business Immune Boost: A Simple Start

If you feel like your business has drifted into cancerous growth mode, don’t panic.

The cure isn’t to shrink. It’s to shift.

Pick one of the 5 actions above. Start there.

• Define new vital signs.

• Focus on meaning.

• Set financial guardrails.

• Make time to think.

• Reconnect to your mission.

And if you want help seeing where the “cancer” is and how to activate your business immune system, reach out. That’s what we do.

Let’s make your business healthy again.

Not just bigger.

But better.