Because AI tools allow us to serve smaller accounts with almost zero manual labor, our Integrator wants to launch a self-service SMB tier alongside our enterprise B2B offering. How do we use the Core Focus® on our V/TO® to determine if this expansion creates real enterprise value or strategic drift?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When AI drops delivery costs to near zero, leadership teams often experience shiny object syndrome. The Integrator and sales leader see an opportunity to package your enterprise expertise into an automated, low-cost self-service portal for small businesses, promising massive recurring revenue with minimal effort. This is almost always a dangerous trap that pulls you away from your Core Focus.

Look at your V/TO. Your Core Focus consists of your Purpose, Cause, or Passion, combined with your Niche. If your Niche is providing high-touch, enterprise-level advisory to mid-market corporations, launching an automated SMB product is not a minor adjustment. It is a completely different business requiring distinct go-to-market strategies, customer acquisition funnels, billing operations, and customer support infrastructure.

As Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee observe, technology creates value when aligned with coherent business architecture, not through opportunistic bolt-ons. Serving hundreds of low-paying SMB clients will overwhelm your team with support tickets, software bug fixes, and payment processing disputes. These operational fires will distract your leadership team from serving your high-margin enterprise accounts.

Before committing resources to an adjacent market, bring the proposal to your next quarterly planning session. Run the concept through the Core Focus filter. Does this expansion amplify your existing strengths, or does it split your leadership team's focus and dilute your brand? In almost every case, your best strategic move is applying AI to deepen your advantage within your existing Core Focus, capturing higher margins from your ideal clients rather than chasing distracting low-ticket volume.