Is Your Business "Miles Wide, But Only Inches Deep?" It’s All About Focus!

It’s surprising how many small business owners believe that having multiple revenue streams across various markets is a winning strategy.

The logic sounds solid: more opportunities should increase your chances of success, right? But in reality, each market segment you target needs a specific product focus, along with dedicated sales and marketing efforts. Spreading your business too thin—whether through a broad product range or trying to serve too many markets—can actually backfire!

In fact, this is a guaranteed way to drive your business toward an early exit—and not in a good way. I call this the "Miles wide, but only inches deep" business model. It’s a business with lots of breadth but little depth.

As entrepreneurs, resources—whether time, money, or talent—are always limited. Focus then on one or two key applications where your product fits best.? Where it addresses critical customer pain points, or where you can become a market leader. Otherwise, you end up dispersing your resources across too many areas. Whether it’s adding unnecessary features, targeting diverse markets, or pushing a generic marketing message, the result is the same: a lack of focus and direction.

No matter what the business’ growth stage, focus is key!

I’ve seen companies go from profitability to the brink of bankruptcy because they tried to be "all things to all people." Focus means identifying a niche you can dominate, then diving deep into that market, using your limited resources as effectively as possible.

Are you guilty of spreading yourself too thin? Here are some signs that your business might be "miles wide, but only inches deep":

1. Because You Can, Doesn’t Mean You Should

You’ve added features to your product simply because they were easy to implement, seemed like logical extensions, or worse—because they were flashy and showed off your technical prowess. But did you stop to ask whether these features actually solve your customers' problems or meet their needs? Just because you can add something doesn’t mean you should.

2. More Is Not Better—It’s Just More

You’ve introduced multiple product packages or pricing models, hoping to appeal to a wider audience. The issue? Without a clear value proposition for each customer segment, you're offering more options, not more value. More isn’t always better—it’s just more to manage.

3. Your Product Is a Jack of All Trades, Master of None

Your product has so many features that even your sales and marketing team struggles to keep up. You end up bombarding potential customers with a laundry list of functions, without clearly showing how those features translate into tangible benefits. When your product is overloaded with features, you risk overwhelming customers rather than enticing them.

4. The "Catch-All" Market Approach

You believe your product can serve a broad range of vertical markets, so you try to target them all at once. But to effectively penetrate multiple markets, you need specialized sales strategies and deep market knowledge for each one. Without focusing on one or two key markets first, you’ll struggle to gain traction anywhere.

To succeed, you need to focus on a niche where you can truly excel.

Find the market where you can solve the biggest problems or meet the most critical needs. Rather than trying to be everything to everyone, focus on becoming the leader in that niche. It’s better to do one thing exceptionally well than to spread your resources thin and do many things only adequately.

Focus means depth over breadth.

It’s about understanding your target market, creating a tailored product, and delivering an experience that solves real problems, meets real needs. By narrowing your focus, you can maximize your resources, build stronger customer relationships, and set yourself up for long-term success.

"The Entrepreneur’s Yoda" knows these things. He’s been there. May success be with you!