How We Apply Focus to Drive Growth Faster
Warren Buffet famously advises, "If it isn’t the most important thing, avoid it at all costs." Similarly, Peter Thiel once refused to engage in conversations unless they were about an individual’s top priority. The lesson? Focus is a superpower, especially in growth.
Growth thrives on the principle that Focus Wins. Let’s explore why and how this philosophy powers growth teams to excel.
The Equation Behind Focus
Cal Newport sums it up simply:
Focus on the highest-priority goal that yields the most value per unit of time.
Time and attention are finite resources.
Spending time on lower-priority goals reduces the total net value you can achieve.
The Five Reasons Focus Wins
1. Speed: Focusing on a single priority reduces complexity and accelerates decision-making. The less you juggle, the faster you execute.
2. Learning: Speed leads to quicker learnings. Fast iterations mean more insights and better experiments.
3. Progress: Focused learning drives successful experiments, leading to measurable growth.
4. Confidence: Achievements in a singular area boost team confidence and morale.
5. Competitive Advantage: Deep focus allows you to master a few areas rather than being average across many, creating a lasting edge.
How We Apply Focus to Growth
1. Targeting High-Impact Areas
Growth offers infinite possibilities, but time is limited. That’s why identifying and prioritizing the most impactful areas is critical.
Our method:
— Build a growth model: Analyze data to determine the baseline, ceiling for improvement, and sensitivity (how changes impact key metrics).
— Use these insights to decide whether to focus on acquisition, activation, retention, revenue, or referral—and within those, which specific aspect to prioritize.
2. Setting Guardrails with OKRs
Once the focus area is chosen, OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) keep the team on track:
— Objective: A qualitative focus (e.g., improve retention).
— Key Results: Quantifiable goals tied to the objective.
— Time Frame: A set period for focus, providing a clear window to reassess and stay disciplined.
The time frame is essential. It allows the team to block out distractions and commit fully to the task at hand.
3. Concentrating on Core Acquisition Channels
It’s tempting to chase every new channel or tactic that promises quick wins. But focus means doubling down on the few channels with true scaling potential.
— One-off experiments are deprioritized unless they offer significant, scalable gains.
4. Doubling Down on What Works
When an experiment succeeds, we don’t immediately move on. Instead, we ask, "How can we do more of this?"
Maximizing returns from proven tactics before exploring new ones ensures we extract every bit of value from what’s working.
Final Thought
Focus isn’t just about saying “yes” to the right things—it’s about saying “no” to everything else. By concentrating on the areas with the highest potential impact, teams move faster, learn more, and ultimately drive sustainable growth.
Warren Buffet famously advises, "If it isn’t the most important thing, avoid it at all costs." Similarly, Peter Thiel once refused to engage in conversations unless they were about an individual’s top priority. The lesson? Focus is a superpower, especially in growth.
Growth thrives on the principle that Focus Wins. Let’s explore why and how this philosophy powers growth teams to excel.
The Equation Behind Focus
Cal Newport sums it up simply:
Focus on the highest-priority goal that yields the most value per unit of time.
Time and attention are finite resources.
Spending time on lower-priority goals reduces the total net value you can achieve.
The Five Reasons Focus Wins
1. Speed: Focusing on a single priority reduces complexity and accelerates decision-making. The less you juggle, the faster you execute.
2. Learning: Speed leads to quicker learnings. Fast iterations mean more insights and better experiments.
3. Progress: Focused learning drives successful experiments, leading to measurable growth.
4. Confidence: Achievements in a singular area boost team confidence and morale.
5. Competitive Advantage: Deep focus allows you to master a few areas rather than being average across many, creating a lasting edge.
How We Apply Focus to Growth
1. Targeting High-Impact Areas
Growth offers infinite possibilities, but time is limited. That’s why identifying and prioritizing the most impactful areas is critical.
Our method:
— Build a growth model: Analyze data to determine the baseline, ceiling for improvement, and sensitivity (how changes impact key metrics).
— Use these insights to decide whether to focus on acquisition, activation, retention, revenue, or referral—and within those, which specific aspect to prioritize.
2. Setting Guardrails with OKRs
Once the focus area is chosen, OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) keep the team on track:
— Objective: A qualitative focus (e.g., improve retention).
— Key Results: Quantifiable goals tied to the objective.
— Time Frame: A set period for focus, providing a clear window to reassess and stay disciplined.
The time frame is essential. It allows the team to block out distractions and commit fully to the task at hand.
3. Concentrating on Core Acquisition Channels
It’s tempting to chase every new channel or tactic that promises quick wins. But focus means doubling down on the few channels with true scaling potential.
— One-off experiments are deprioritized unless they offer significant, scalable gains.
4. Doubling Down on What Works
When an experiment succeeds, we don’t immediately move on. Instead, we ask, "How can we do more of this?"
Maximizing returns from proven tactics before exploring new ones ensures we extract every bit of value from what’s working.
Final Thought
Focus isn’t just about saying “yes” to the right things—it’s about saying “no” to everything else. By concentrating on the areas with the highest potential impact, teams move faster, learn more, and ultimately drive sustainable growth.