I get it—I’ve been there. You start out selling boats. Then someone calls wanting a jet ski, and you think, “Close enough,” because you need the revenue. Next, a customer asks for a trailer, so you sell them a trailer. Then an ATV. Then you add jet ski insurance because a customer mentioned their carrier doesn’t offer it. Then a motorcycle.
Fast forward a few years, and your once-focused boat business is now selling boats, trailers, jet skis, ATVs, insurance, and motorcycles.
Two things usually happen:
1. **90% of your revenue comes from one product.**
2. **90% of your headaches come from the other 10–20 things you sell.**
Worse, marketing becomes exponentially harder. Selling one thing is simple. Selling 20 things is chaos. Which conferences do you attend when you have 20 different types of buyers? How do you prioritize leads across all your products? How do you calculate your cost to acquire a customer when each product is different? And what marketing message could possibly capture the value of everything you sell?
It reminds me of a small family restaurant I used to pass every day in Houston. At first, their sign read “Best Ribs in Town.” Then they added “Best Ribs and Chicken.” Then “Best Ribs, Chicken, and Burgers.” Then smoothies. I left Houston before I saw the ending—most likely because they didn’t survive long enough to write it.
Here’s the truth: it’s far easier to refer people to a business that’s laser-focused. I have a friend who owns a Mercedes dealership—easy referral. Another friend sells used cars of every make and model—haven’t referred anyone to him in years. Why? Because I never know if he has what my friends are looking for.
And just like that restaurant, when you try to be the best at ribs, chicken, burgers, and smoothies, people stop believing you’re the best at anything.
If you want to see whether your market is confused, ask someone outside your business—your spouse, kids, or another EO member—what you specialize in. If they can’t answer instantly, or if they’re completely off-base, you have a focus problem.
Here’s a simple exercise that works almost every time I’ve done it with business owners:
1. **Identify the one or two products or services that make up the bulk of your revenue and profit.**
2. **Imagine your business if you only sold those.** What happens to your margins? Overhead? Does your marketing and sales process become simpler and more effective?
3. **Plan for the transition.** This will likely require major changes—your infrastructure, brand, marketing, staff, and processes have all been built to serve the sprawling range of offerings you have today. Narrowing down means not just cutting products, but reshaping your business to thrive in that new, focused world.
When we finally did this ourselves, our margins shot up, marketing got easier, and referrals poured in, sending revenue soaring.
Sometimes the fastest way to grow isn’t to add—it’s to subtract.