Find and focus the core

Who this is for

Founder led lower middle market companies with 5 to 50 million in annual revenue.

The quick answer

If one offer drives most profit and has headroom, centre the business on it. Shrink or retire offers that distract sales and delivery. Say yes to custom work only when it teaches you something many customers will buy later.

The framework in five steps

  1. Score offers
    Margin, win rate, delivery strain, and strategic fit.

  2. Name the core
    Pick the offer with the best mix of profit and headroom.

  3. Tighten positioning
    Write a one line promise for the core. Align messaging and sales plays.

  4. Prune the rest
    Exit low value items or move them behind a higher tier.

  5. Protect learning
    Keep a small test lane for ideas that can scale later.

Example

A twenty million firm sold four services. One generated sixty percent of profit. They centred the brand and sales on it and moved two minor services into paid add ons. Gross margin rose two points and win rate increased.

Pitfalls and fixes

  • Fear of losing any revenue. Replace with price and mix.

  • Sales still pushing old items. Update cards and incentives.

  • Operations not realigned. Match staffing to the core.

Checklist

  • Offer scorecard complete

  • Core named and promise written

  • Exit or bundle plan for minor items

  • Sales and delivery aligned

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