AI makes it technically feasible for our company to launch dozens of new service lines at virtually zero marginal cost. How do we use our Core Focus on the V/TO to prevent strategy drift and maintain operational discipline?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Technological feasibility is not a business strategy. Just because generative AI allows you to produce a marketing plan, draft a technical report, or generate code at near-zero marginal cost does not mean your company should sell those services.

When new technological capabilities emerge, visionary owners often suffer from acute shiny object syndrome. They see opportunities everywhere and begin distracting their team with auxiliary service offerings. This scatters your company energy, dilutes your market positioning, and fractures your operational focus.

Use your Core Focus on the V/TO as an ironclad gatekeeper. The Core Focus consists of two elements: your Purpose/Cause/Passion and your Niche. Whenever a team member or owner proposes launching an AI-enabled offering, force the idea through those two strategic filters during your quarterly strategic planning or an IDS session.

Ask these questions:
- Does this offering deepen our authority within our defined Niche, or does it drag our team into a commoditized market where we have no established trust?
- Does delivering this service align with our core Purpose, or is it an opportunistic cash grab that pulls focus from our core revenue engine?
- Do we possess the complementary human assets, industry relationships, and delivery excellence to be the absolute best at this offering?

If the idea fails any of these tests, kill it immediately. Strategy is about choosing what not to do. The firms that command market leadership and maximum exit value are not the ones dabbling in fifteen automated side ventures. They are the focused organizations using AI to deliver their specific Core Focus ten times better and faster than anyone else.