Oh you’ve read it in several books and heard it from innumerous people, “you must have a laser focus, go deep, stay narrow, don’t go too wide, focus focus focus.”
I tend to accept something if I keep hearing it over and over again even if I’m not quite sure why they say it, especially when successful people keep saying it – they’re successful they must know a thing or two about business! Here’s the thing though, everything has a context and just because that snippet of text stands out does not mean it’s entirely true.
You see, yes you must focus, but you must also be prepared to change your target. It’s the natural process of life, things change, they evolve and one must be ready to accompany and adapt to such changes. What’s important today might not be as significant tomorrow.
It’s ok to change, I see it as a sign of strength.
GE just recently announced that they’re not going to sell appliances anymore. That’s huge! Let’s face it, they’re fairly known for that! And yet, focusing elsewhere becomes a distinct and more desirable challenge that will lead to greater profits.
Shoemoney recently blogged about something similar – same thing… when you grow, as you evolve no matter in what stage you’re in, your willingness to perfect and remodel your business to achieve greater things increases, and one must be willing to take that step forward.
So if you’re focusing and drilling deep, keep doing it, but don’t be afraid to start drilling somewhere else when time proves it’s a better thing to do.