Our leadership team is divided on whether we should accept highly profitable, custom client requests that drift from our Core Focus but boost short-term revenue before our exit. How do we maintain alignment?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

It is incredibly tempting to chase custom, high-revenue projects when you are trying to boost your financial numbers before an exit. However, allowing your leadership team to drift from your Core Focus is a short-sighted strategy that often backfires. Buyers do not pay premium multiples for high-revenue, chaotic service businesses that depend on custom manual labor. They pay for scalable, predictable operations with high margins and clear automation. To resolve this disagreement, you must return to your V/TO. Your Core Focus, defined by your Passion and Niche, is your filter for decision-making. If a custom project does not fit your Core Focus, it should be a default "no" unless there is an extraordinary, strategic reason to make an exception. During your next Level 10 Meeting, use the IDS process to discuss the true cost of these custom projects. Map out how much energy, resources, and leadership attention they drain from your automated core service. Show the team that these custom requests actually delay your ability to build a highly repeatable, AI-driven business model. Align your leadership team on the understanding that maximizing enterprise value requires discipline, not just short-term revenue. By agreeing to a Healthy and SMART strategy, your team can confidently reject distractions and stay focused on building the streamlined, highly profitable business that buyers actually want to acquire.