The Power of Focus

As I took my seat in row 27D on the United flight to Charleston for our family vacation, I was puzzled that my laptop wasn’t inside my bag. 

You see, I’m good at packing lists. I make detailed lists, and when I pack the item, I erase it until the list is empty. So I couldn’t believe that I would overlook my laptop.

I grimaced at my wife across the row in 27C. “I forgot my computer,” I pouted. 

“Really?” she questioned? “You never forget your laptop.”

“I know. I was sure I packed –” I stopped cold without finishing the sentence.

I suddenly knew EXACTLY where my laptop was.

In the separate bin I was made to place it at airport security.

“I left my laptop at security,” I said to her as I stood.

“Don’t worry - I’ll make it,” I said, turning away from her horrified expression. The cabin doors would close in exactly 15 minutes. 

*

When my college wrestling career was over, I ran into my 20s and 30s. In my late 30s, Father Time caught up. Calf strain. Hip pain. Knee pain. I alternated with these injuries until I basically quit running for good before I hit 40. 

At Newark Airport that morning, however, something was different. I was a running back, sliding between crowds, kiosks, airport cleaning staff, and emergency vehicles. I was absolutely flying – and my work was effortless.

I had two thoughts in my head:

1) Get the computer

2) Make the flight

Somehow, I made all the right decisions through the labyrinth of hallways to land directly at the security gate. After a 15 second interaction, I got my laptop and was headed back.

“Thank you!” I shouted. Then I ran, slip-streaming my way back to Gate 93.

I was like Neo in The Matrix; I could see obstacles and impediments before they presented themselves, and I glided past all of them and arrived back at the gate.

After re-greeting my wife and kids – and apologizing for the drama  - I just sat and took inventory of what just happened.

How the hell did I pull that off?

My conclusion was simple and crystal clear:

Focus.

I spent a sum total of ZERO seconds wasting time on unnecessary questions such as, “How much time do I have?”

I spent ZERO time reflecting on the question, “What happens if I don’t make it?”

I was 100% focused on the task at hand.

Despite sprinting for almost a half mile, I also had zero fatigue, calf pain, hip pain, or knee pain despite the fact that I hadn’t run like that in over ten years.

All of this made me realize… That level was ALWAYS there. I just hadn’t accessed it before.

*

In a startup, it would be ideal to harness this level of superhuman focus each day. The reality of that is unlikely because that sense of urgency is tough to manufacture.

So what CAN be applied from this lesson to enhance focus?

In my experience of working with a number of startups, here are three different ways an organization can harness different kinds of focus to drive progress.

FOCUS ONE: THE RIGHT INDUSTRY

I have seen so many companies fail to really gain customer advocacy because they are trying to be all things to all people.

The SaaS companies I know well have succeeded because they had the discipline to say no to the wrong-fit markets - and yes to the ones they could serve best.

Back when I was helping to build the first very first version of the SDR Team at Tenna, we were guilty of lacking a degree of focus. Although we wanted to serve construction as the top industry - as we were born from construction - we knew our solution could help customers in other industries such as waste management. So we did.

But in a year’s time, it became clear that we had to let go of those customers. Could our solution help them? Absolutely. But were we going to excel, evolve, and innovate new products and features to serve this industry?

Once the clear answer was no, we knew it was time to mutually part ways when their contracts came up - and to start saying yes to only construction companies.

This decision to focus on one industry was one of the key accelerators that helped Tenna move from being a six-figure ARR company to a seven, and eventually, an eight figure ARR company.

FOCUS TWO: THE RIGHT PROBLEM

When Alex Kraft founded Heave in 2020 after a decade plus of working in an equipment dealership, he thought the idea of a better equipment marketplace and improved ways of connecting dealers and construction companies could help the construction industry.

But it wasn’t the right problem to solve.

He had been hearing the complaints from civil construction companies about slow dealer service and too much equipment downtime - and had seen it firsthand in the dealership world.

So in 2022, he decided to listen to his potential customers and solve that problem.

The solution? A network of highly qualified, independent technicians who could provide on-demand service.

Where are they today?

By listening to customers - and focusing on their main issue - as of November 2024, the average time from service requested on the Heave App to a service complete - is 24 hours.

Ask any civil construction company if they would sign the deal for that timeline - and you’ll know the results Heave is getting by having listened to customers and doing the work to focus on the right problem.

FOCUS THREE: THE RIGHT INTERACTION

At the Ariat Dirt World 2024 Summit in San Antonio this November, I heard the greatest story from billionaire entrepreneur Jesse Itzler.

Back in 2000, Itzler and his partner conceived the idea and laid the groundwork for a private jet company. After a year of preparation, he needed to win customers to get the idea off the ground.

Itzler knew that some heavy hitters were going to be at one of the inaugural TED talks in Monterey. So what did he do? He flew out to Monterey.

Unfortunately, upon arrival, he also learned he wasn’t getting into the talk without a badge. As he hung out in the coffee shop pondering his next move, every hour and a half he saw people coming in ordering lattes and muffins…lattes and muffins…lattes and muffins.

So the next morning, he went to the coffee shop at 5:00 AM…and bought ALL the muffins.

A man came into the store and ordered a latte and a muffin. The barista informed him they were sold out of muffins. Itzler interjected and said, “Excuse me…I overheard you. I actually happen to have an extra muffin.”

They started talking. Josh Kopelman introduced himself to Jesse - and asked what he did. “I own a private jet company,” he began.

“No kidding,” Kopelman says. “I’ve been looking for a private jet.”

Kopelman became sale number one for what became Marquis Jet.

My experience has shown me that every meaningful business interaction I’ve known has been impacted by showing up.

The SaaS companies I know well have built momentum by focusing on having on-site meetings over virtual meetings. Yes - it’s an investment - but the investment builds a relational foundation.

I’ve also seen it personally in my own business. Showing up instead of just having Zoom calls takes time, but it also has allowed me to connect in a way that just can’t happen on a call.

Focusing on the right kind of interaction can truly help you accelerate.

* 

As 2024 winds down, the potential for focus for the next few weeks will be high until the Silver Bells start jingling.

Rather than being reactive based on the calendar, I believe that applying these three principles of focus can elevate your business in an evergreen way.

As these final days of 2024 count down to zero, I pose the same question to you that I pose to myself:

What is the most important shift to make that can maximize focus?

Best of luck as you explore the answer to that question as you close out 2024!

#focus