The power of relentless focus — Kelford Labs Daily
Focus never ends.
“Essentially, we must always be doing both—leaning into our well-developed skills, insights, and products while also experimenting and exploring to develop new opportunities.”
— Smith & Lewis, Both/And Thinking
The other day, I found myself describing the history of our business as a process of “relentless focus.” We started out doing a little bit of everything for everybody and now we do one thing for the clients who value it (and us) most.
Of course, I’ve preached about “relentless patience” before, so I apparently just like the word, but I think there’s a bit more behind why I’m drawn to the expression.
For me, focus isn’t about making one big decision, once, and reaping the rewards from then on out. Focus is a process of learning—who to focus on, what to focus on—and we learn by paying attention to what our clients and customers appear to value most.
But as your clients and customers change, because you’re changing and focusing, you have to keep paying attention and learning.
Which means you’re never finished, you never stop focusing.
It’s a process of continual improvement while leaning into your unique skills and insights. It’s a deepening of your expertise based on a deepening understanding of your customers.
Focusing allows you to pay special attention to a specific set of patterns that inform your perspectives, and which give you unique insights into what a particular buyer values most.
When you do a bit of everything, you see neither the forest nor the trees—you just see a blur.
But if focus feels intimidating, remember: it’s a process. You can start small. You can start so small nobody notices but you.
Because the only thing you need to do is pay attention to what your best customers value most.
Focus on that, and more focus will follow.
Kelford Inc. helps hands-on entrepreneurs and founders with complex marketing challenges define and articulate their unique value to their very best customers.
We’ll show you the way to always knowing what to say.
