7. Focus, brand and value

Do you know what you are in business for? Is your proposition clear in your mind? Have you created a name for yourself in your marketplace so that customers and other stakeholders associate you and your brand with something strong and attractive? Do your employees understand and share this clarity? If the answer to any of these questions is 'no', make it a high priority to turn it into a 'yes'. If it's already a 'yes', put one question above all others when considering expansion of your business: will this change strengthen our brand and enable us to leverage it further? Or will it result in a loss of focus and dilution of the brand?' Dilution of brand leads almost inexorably to destruction of value.