What simple real-world examples do you use to explain tech debt to business teams?

we spent months rushing new features to hit sales goals, but now making basic app changes takes double the time.

i tried explaining it to our non-technical partners by comparing it to a busy kitchen. if you keep cooking without stopping to clean the counters or wash dishes, everything eventually slows down and mistakes happen.

how do you explain code cleanup to non-tech founders when they just want new features shipped?