Your business is defined by what you say NO to.

Let me explain.

Did you know every restaurant could cook any other type of food?

They all have pots, pans, refrigerators, stoves, and utensils. They really could cook any type of food, starting next week.

As a customer, you know your favorite restaurant by what they say YES to and expect them to cook every day.

But for the owner, the chef, and the employees who work inside the business, it’s more important to see the line of what they actively say NO to every day.

What they don’t cook for you, even though they could.

This line of what they say no to is completely made up.

Inside a company, behind the focused brand, the question of what to say yes and no to is an active discussion every day.

When you are creating a new restaurant or a new software startup, you could make anything.

But you won’t scale unless you are known as the best at something important for someone specific.

So what your business is to the world is defined by the line where you say:

“No, we don’t do that. Even though we could.”