You know how I can identify a new entrepreneur?

They’re not only trying to be everything to everyone, they’re trying to offer everything that has ever been offered.

A few weeks ago on Shark Tank, a young woman came in with what I initially thought was a great idea: tea lattes you can make at home. She showed up at the pitch with samples of the creative drinks (if you’re in the Chicago area, they were reminiscent of Argo Tea rather than Teavana), and the investors loved them.

Then it started going off the rails.

They asked what it was she was selling, exactly.

She said she was selling tea, and the lattes, and she had a cafe, and there was a machine they could sell, and look at these accessories…. One by one, the investors dropped out, explaining that it was clear she came to them too early without a real strategy in place–or hell, an idea of what she was doing or selling.

With tears in her eyes, she said, shakingly, “I want to be the Starbucks of tea.”

Oof.

The viewers and the sharks cringed. Not just because the “Uber of X” pitch is overdone, not because Starbucks already bought Teavana, not because tea culture isn’t as strong as coffee culture in the U.S.

No, we cringed because she was trying to do it all. And, accordingly, she failed at all of it.

It can be hard when you’re first starting out to not offer everything, because you’re still not sure what your clients want or what your zone of genius is. Most of us have been guilty of that.

As your business expands, you’ll naturally begin taking on more and varied projects, but, at the beginning, it can be confusing for you and your clients.

That means:

• Offering 1 or 2 key service packages OR
• …Promoting 1 group program OR
• …Selling 1 online course.
• Sticking to 3 or fewer primary social media channels.
• Not throwing in the kitchen sink each time you book a 1-hour consult.

Get focused, work in your zone of genius, and get comfortable with where you are. Push the limits of your comfort, but not at the expense of your brand.

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