The ONE Thing to Focus on for Sustainable Business Success

Are you finding it harder than you expected to hit the goals you set for this year?

Mid-January is a powerful checkpoint. Some entrepreneurs are charging ahead with momentum, while others are realizing progress is moving slower than planned.

If you are determined to create sustainable, scalable success this year without feeling stuck in a cycle of always being behind, there is one critical focus that can make all the difference.

To assist you with finding this crucial focus area, I highly recommend engaging in the following:

• How to Achieve Goals and Build Sustainable Success
• Breaking Down SPSTI
• Actionable Steps and Next Focus Areas
• Balancing Measurement and Action, Based on Data

Working intentionally across the five core pillars of success (namely Strategy, Planning, Systems, Team, and Insight, i.e. SPSTI) can help you build a strong, sustainable business foundation.

I also talk about this in episode 212 of the Lean Out Your Business Podcast. 

Tune into Episode 212 of the Lean Out Your Business Podcast or keep reading below.

 Sustainable Success Depends on a Complete Ecosystem

Long-term success is not the result of a single tactic or trend.

It comes from a complete business ecosystem where each area of strategy, planning, systems, team, and insights fits together and supports the others.

Business owners often fall into the trap of trying to do everything at once, which leaves them feeling perpetually behind.

A better way is to focus deeply on the one pillar that will create the most immediate leverage, and then move to the next.

SPSTI: The Five Foundations of Sustainable Success

At the heart of sustainable scaling is a simple, strategic formula: the right things, at the right time, done the right way, by the right people, producing the right results.

Here is a closer look at each pillar:

• Strategy: Are you working on the right things that will move the needle in your business?
• Planning: Are you focusing on them at the right time to maximize impact and avoid overwhelm?
• Systems: Are you executing in the right way, with processes that ensure consistent, high-quality results without reinventing the wheel?
• Team: Are the right people surrounding you - not just employees, but also advisors, mentors, and strategic collaborators?
• Insight: Are you measuring the right results to know what is truly driving success, so you can double down on what works and let go of what does not?

How to Know Where to Focus First

While all five pillars are essential, the most effective approach is to focus on the one that will give you the biggest shift right now, either by creating opportunity or relieving pain.

Here is how to tell where your current priority should be:

1. Strategy (Right Things):
If your offer suite or business model no longer aligns with your vision, or if client buying behavior has changed, this is where you need to focus first.

Without the right offers and positioning, everything else becomes harder.

2. Planning (Right Time):
If you have a clear long-term vision but lack clarity about what should happen this quarter, this month, or this week, strengthening your planning muscle is critical.

3. Systems (Right Way):
If you are repeatedly answering the same questions, making the same decisions, or noticing inefficiencies and mistakes, it is time to build systems that free you and your team to perform at a higher level.

4. Team (Right People):
If your team is at capacity, missing skills, or underperforming, your next focus should be building or upleveling your team to match the level your business is scaling toward.

5. Insights (Right Results):
If you are unclear on what is working and find yourself afraid to let go of anything, strengthening your insights will help you track what matters and confidently streamline your efforts.

Why Getting the Focus Right Matters

Trying to optimize everything at once leads to fragmented efforts and slow progress.

Getting crystal clear on the one area that will create the biggest leverage frees up time, money, energy, and momentum.

Often, the most powerful focus is not where the biggest opportunity lies but where the greatest pain currently exists.

Address the biggest gap first, and it will naturally open up space to focus on the next pillar, and then the next.

This creates a business that grows sustainably instead of one that constantly feels reactive and overwhelming.

Use this simple checklist to find your current focus:

• Review your vision and offer suite - is a strategic shift needed?

• Check your plan - do you have clear next steps for the next 90 days?

• Evaluate your operations - are inefficiencies and inconsistencies showing up?

• Assess your team - do you have the right skills and capacity in place?

• Examine your metrics - do you know what is driving results?

When you put your energy in the right place at the right time, business becomes more manageable, results come quicker, and you build resilience to market changes and disruptions.

How to Build Sustainable Business Success This Year

To create sustainable success this year, you want to continuously strengthen all five pillars of SPSTI, but you only need to focus on one at a time.

Here is what to keep in mind:

• Strategy ensures you are focused on the right things

• Planning ensures you are working on the right things at the right time

• Systems ensure things are done the right way

• Team ensures you have the right people supporting you

• Insights ensure you are tracking the right results

When you know which pillar to prioritize, you create clarity, reclaim momentum, and position your business for lasting success.

If you would like support identifying where to focus first, we offer two powerful ways to get help:

1. Set up a consult to explore what working together could look like: leanoutmethod.com/consult

2. Enroll a key team member into the Strategic Ops Institute so they can drive operational excellence: strategicopsinstitute.com/sol