One Secret Sauce of ALL Successful Companies

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After attending thousands of lectures, meetings, workshops, events etc. related to why some companies succeed & some don't and going through that grind myself throughout the last two decades,

I have come to conclusion about one thing for sure :

The beginning of success for all the companies is nothing but the same.

Its not People, its not Culture, its not Technology, its not Communication.

Its Focus, Focus and Focus.

Yes, Focus solves all the problems. People, Culture, Technology, Communication etc. are important but they come much later. The beginning of success is always the Focus.

This is because at a fundamental level, focus eliminates unwanted stuff and 'saves' us. It helps us save time, money and energy being spent on 'too many' things.

It’s about channeling all resources—time, money, energy—towards a singular objective, rather than dispersing them across a myriad of pursuits.

You don't need ten customers who like you, you need one customer who loves you.

Focus is not only useful at the organization level, but also at department level.

If nothing is going right in your business or department, simply reduce doing too many things and focus on one thing as much as possible.

Of course, it will work, only if, your focus is on the right thing.

But the good thing about this strategy is, in case you are focusing on wrong thing, you change your focus quickly once you become aware about that.

This is nothing but the 'pivoting' in our startup parlance.

Focus as an approach is extremely helpful at the Organization Level in deciding the high level strategy. It is also helpful at the department level for execution of things.

Focus at Org Level (Strategy) :

Focus has helped startups as well as large organizations.

You don't need ten customers who like you, you need one customer who loves you.

At org level, Focus cuts down your spend on Sales, Marketing, Product, Support, HR, Technology and Operations. It streamlines everything and makes you leaner.

Even established giants like Apple used the power of focus to revitalize. During Steve Jobs’ second tenure, the company famously streamlined its product lineup, prioritizing innovation and quality over quantity.

This unwavering focus on creating exceptional user experiences has cemented Apple’s status as a global leader in technology.

On the other hand, start ups also used the power of Focus to succeed.

Instagram (do you know that, its name is a combination of "instant" and "telegram."!) began as a location-based app called Burbn, where users could check in, share photos, and earn points for hanging out with friends. In early days, they literally stripped away all other features from Burbn, leaving only the photo-sharing functionality. This focus helped Instagram grow much faster.

Focus at Department Level (Execution) :

Focus isn’t just a strategy reserved for the CXOs—it permeates every facet of an organization, down to the individual department level.

Whether it’s marketing, sales, or operations, each function benefits immensely from a clear and concentrated focus on its core objectives.

Consider a sales team grappling with stagnating revenue growth. Rather than resorting to scattergun tactics, a concerted effort to focus on high-value leads and strategic accounts can yield remarkable results.

Similarly, a marketing department inundated with disparate campaigns can achieve greater impact by zeroing in on channels that resonate most with their target audience.

Over a period of time, I have now started believing in 'War room strategy'.

War Room Strategy : If you really want an efficient and effective implementation of something very critical, build a 'war room' for the same, get all the relevant stakeholders in there and let them work together to solve that problem/do that task.

By focusing all the energies on one thing, we achieve much more than merely solving that problem/doing that task : We do it in style. We do it efficiently and effectively. And more importantly we do it with a sense of an achievement and team bonding.

Conclusion :

Amid all the management jargons, one secret sauce that is followed by all successful companies is Focus.

Focus at Organization level (aka Strategic decisions), cuts a lot of cost for companies, makes them leaner and hence successful. Strategic decisions such as which market to serve, at what price point, with which product features etc. should be taken so that all organization focuses all its energies to achieve something special.

Focus at Department Level (aka Execution level), makes organizations leaner, efficient and effective in whatever they do at all levels.

Focus solves all the problems. People, Culture, Technology, Communication etc. are important but they come much later.

The beginning of success for any organization is always the Focus.

If nothing is going right in your business or department, simply reduce doing too many things and focus on one thing as much as possible.

As this is the first edition of the series, I thought of 'focusing' on the real core!

Do write in your views/relevant examples/insights in comments.

I hope this is helpful.

See you next week with further insights to manage and scale up your business systematically.

Regards,

Chanakya Joshi

Founder and Director,