a successful business starts with focus

A year ago, I had an epiphany of sorts. I realised that in order for my business to be successful, I had to focus and streamline my business.

At that time, I had been offering four different services: four different offers that my clients could choose from. They were all quite similar and only varied in terms of how I delivered them. Some of them were group programs, while others were one-to-one.

Eventually I faced a sad but necessary truth. I was having a hard time selling all of these programs.

why less is more

When you have a lot of things to offer, your customers often get confused. They don’t actually know what  the best solution for them is because you have too many options for them to choose from.

With a number of offerings, you are constantly selling. Your clients don’t always want to hear about what you’re selling next; they want you to give them valuable content for free because they’re not always looking to buy.

In my case, I was constantly trying to sell one of my four offerings throughout the year. This was exhausting for my clients, and later I learned that it was for me too.

After a lot of careful thought and support from my own business coach, I overhauled my business and decided to focus on two new offerings only. These are Simplicity and an invite-only VIP Experience. These two new offerings replaced everything else I previously offered. Everything!

I designed Simplicity to cater to early stage business owners, while the VIP Experience is designed for business owners who are a futher along and looking for one-to-one support to make big moves in their business.

Since I made the ‘less is more’ choice, my business has grown exponentially. I have doubled my YTD revenue and I earned more in the first 6 months of this year, than I had in the 2 full years of 2019 and 2020.

In a noisy world, focusing isn’t always easy. But I have learned that it’s worth it.

But you might be wondering how you can get better at focusing in business. Below are some of the ways I suggest you achieve this.

1. have clear goals and objectives

To focus in business means having clear goals or objectives that you’re working towards. It means clearly defining what you’re trying to achieve. With specific goals and objectives, everything you do on a daily basis is structured around achieving these.

For example, when I was starting my business, some of my objectives were flexibility and independence. These stayed at the back of my mind whenever I had to make a decision. Would this get me closer to my goal? Or will it move me further away from it?

If your goal is to earn $100,000 in revenue but you do counter-intuitive things like price yourself too low, you’re probably not going to get there. In that case, you’re not really focused on achieving what you want.

2. manage your time

In order to achieve your objectives, you need to be careful about how you spend your time. Break down your overall goals into monthly and weekly objectives. The monthly goal gets you closer to that yearly goal. The weekly goal gets you closer to that monthly goal in turn.

You have to be precious about your time in order to get your bigger picture objectives done. Dedicate time to work towards achieving these goals. This could be a couple of hours a day or once a week. What’s important is that you always have these objectives in mind and are consistently working towards them. And you can use various productivity tools to manage your time.

A clear focus in business means less time goes to waste and productivity and efficiency is achieved.

3. know who are you selling to

In order to stay focused on your goals and objectives throughout the year, you need to have clarity on who your customer is and what it is you’re offering them. Don’t get distracted by the next new trend or opportunity.

In a world with lots of distractions, this can be difficult. However, the more you chase the next new shiny object, the less you’re focusing. The less you focus, the less you’re actually going to accomplish.

Avoiding distractions can be especially difficult as you’re starting out. However, ask yourself if every new opportunity gets you closer or takes you further away from your goals or objectives.

This doesn’t mean that you should say no to every opportunity that comes your way. However, ask yourself if the new opportunity aligns with your bigger goal. Is it something that’s going to allow you to advance on the idea you’re building? Does it get you in front of the right people? Does it give you the right exposure?

4. focus on what you have

I often talk about the importance of experimenting in business. While you’re figuring out your market and your customer, try one at a time. Go all in on one market, or one customer or one product. Give it enough time to see if it has traction before you create something else. Because the more you create, the less you’re focused on getting that one thing you already have out there.

A lot of times, we think we need to create more because what we currently have isn’t selling. But there might be other reasons why you’re not selling. Maybe you’re targeting the wrong customers, or your price is not right. Alternatively, you might not be talking about it in a way that makes sense to your audience.

Instead of addressing these however, we often choose to create something else altogether.

Unfortunately, we usually end up with the same problem because we didn’t understand and address the core problem. So, rather than constantly adding more, examine what you already have and try to figure out why it’s not working.

how to get and stay focused

Focusing on a particular area can be difficult for many of us.

So start by thinking about everything you’ve done or sold before.

• What did you love about each one?
• What did you not love about each?
• Do you actually enjoy the work?
• Or does it drain you completely?
• Does it align with what you stand for?

And start to focus what you offer, based on what comes from these questions.

Don’t base your decisions on finances alone.

For example, when considering taking on a new client, think about what that new relationship will be like? Do you think this client will be an enjoyable experience? Is this new opportunity the right use of your time and energy? Is it the right use of your resources?

focusing requires self awareness and authenticity

The first module in Simplicity is all about being authentic.

Building a business that truly fulfills you starts by being authentic. When you understanding what motivates you, what you desire, and what your strengths and weaknesses are, you can use these for the benefit of the business.

Learn more about how Simplicity can help you get focused, get confident and get custmomers and get onto the waitlist for our next cohort here.