3 Steps to Maintain Focus

In my experience, entrepreneurs are often challenged to identify why their company exists, and then stay laser focused on their “why”. In the world of EOS^®, we call your why your company’s Core Focus™. Why is this important, you ask? Because it keeps you from getting distracted as you grow your company.

You have customers and clients who absolutely love what you do and value their relationship with you. They call you whenever they need the service you provide or want to place another order for the products you supply. And because your customers and clients value what you provide, they think of other things you could offer.

Therein lays the problem. Many times the additional offerings do not match why your company exists. But we want to satisfy our customers and clients so we say, “We can do that.” 

In my previous companies my team and I often responded in the exact same way. And then driving back to the studio we would look at each other and question how we would do “that.” Sometimes we didn’t even know what “that” was!

What to do, what to do. Here are three ways you can maintain focus:

1. Clearly identify why you are in business. This isn’t what you do, i.e.: manufacture blue widgets. It’s why you manufacture blue widgets. One of my clients creates customized marketing programs for franchised companies. That is their “what.” Their Core Focus™,  or their why, is “creating new ways to solve old problems.”
2. Once your why is clear, test every business decision against it.
3. “Never try to sell a meteor to a dinosaur. It wastes your time and annoys the dinosaur.” This is a quote from the culture design group, gapingvoid. It’s a great reminder that when you stray from your why you get distracted and are looking in a direction other than the course you set for your company.

This doesn’t mean you need to disappoint your customer or client. You probably have business colleagues to whom you can introduce your customer. Or perhaps you can do some research and find a resource that will meet your client’s needs. They will love you for it and value your relationship even more.

If you are having trouble staying focused on your why, or are even having trouble identifying what your why is, you are not alone. Most business owners want to please their customers and they lose their why in the craziness of trying to fulfill those customer needs. The great thing about EOS^®is that the tools and structure are designed to keep you focused. If you want to maintain your why but are not sure where to start, I invite you to fill out the consult form below to request a free, 15-minute phone call with me. Getting the conversation started is the first step to understanding the power and impact of EOS^®. I hope you’ll fill out the form today, and we can start the process of identifying and maintaining your company’s focus.