8 Questions: Core Focus
Clarity is a gift. And in business, it’s a rare one.
Most entrepreneurial teams aren’t starving for ideas. They’re overwhelmed by them. A new product, a new market, a new hire with a fresh direction. It’s easy to believe that “the next thing” and growth is just one big idea away–and it sometimes is…
But without focus, ideas become distractions. And distraction, at scale, becomes drift.
When I was running my first restaurant, I made what I thought was a bold, ambitious move: I opened a second location. We were only a year and a half into the first one, and while it was going well, I hadn’t yet really dialed in the first one–figuring out what we were really best at or how to replicate it. I thought expansion would create momentum.
It did. But not the kind I wanted.
The distraction of a second location stretched me too thin. I relied on people that weren’t reliable. My still very nascent culture never really took hold, as I became distracted with operationally keeping the ships afloat. This eventually burned me out. It siphoned my energy, forced me to overlook behaviors that I never otherwise would have, and ultimately clouded my ability to lead either business well. Looking back, I didn’t open that second spot because it aligned with our Core Focus. I opened it because I thought I was supposed to.
When I later discovered the EOS Vision/Traction Organizer, the idea of Core Focus hit me hard. Because it gave a name—and a boundary—to what I had lacked.
Core Focus is the intersection of your Purpose/Cause/Passion and your Niche. It answers two simple but powerful questions:
Why do we do what we do?
What do we do better than anyone else?
When you get clear on those, everything else sharpens. Decisions get easier. Priorities align. The noise fades.
This isn’t about playing small—it’s about playing sharp.
It’s about not jeopardizing what you have already built. Because growth without clarity isn’t growth. It’s chaos.
So if you feel stretched thin, scattered, or unsure whether the next big idea is the right one—pause.
Revisit your Core Focus.
Then act with purpose, not pressure.
