Finding your focus in small business

Are you the kind of person who has lots of small business ideas? How do you corral your thinking so you can focus on one opportunity at a time? Should you? What direction should you go?

Yes, build one business at a time. Create the systems that enable you to delegate most of it. Then you can move into the next.

That sounds great, doesn't it? I don't think anyone ever actually does that.

Here's a more usual situation, from Thistle Cove Farm, from our comment section:

I'm in the throes of decision regarding how far to take TCF Studio...family health concerns have forced me to re-evaluate my commitments off the farm and I've stopped volunteer work off the farm. Instead, I make and bake things on the farm and then deliver or mail to folks in need. Another decision is whether or not to step up the magazine and book writing schedule. IOW, make a serious commitment as opposed to a sometimes commitment.
I read the excellent article on "guru or expert" and thought the advice worthwhile. I've taught at University level and that information is waiting to be put into a book.
I'm nattering on but think what I'm really trying to say is...I need to focus. I need to figure out what it is I want to accomplish. Once I figure out my primary focus, then I can decide what needs to become secondary or even what to put on the back burner.
My trouble is just about everything interests me and I like to dabble and think this is something all small business owners/farmers have in common.
How do others choose their focus?

When the topic came up, Stargardener added:

I have an ongoing dance contest between "serious commitment" and "sometimes commitment" myself. And it has been my experience (working with small business owners) that this is something we definitely have in common.
Ideas and pursuits bubble-up within us on a regular basis! Daily! I refer to these as Idea Volcanoes and keep track of my own via creative journaling and collage-making.

Personally, I have put myself on the "not one more thing" status, claiming I won't add one more thing to my commitments. Of course, I'm not really sticking to that, but I am being much more selective. Right now, I have to stop and think about how many businesses I have. And even then, it depends how you draw the line between the different businesses.

Here's why I do it: diversification. If one business is down, I hope to be able to offset it with an increase in another. In a small town, you may not have enough market to make your entire living from a single business. But that can also be an excuse for not focusing on an opportunity that deserves more dedicated effort. 

How about you? What suggestions do you have for getting or maintaining business focus? 

Photo by Becky McCray

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