Shiny Service Syndrome Kills Businesses!

Do you ever feel tempted to add new services to your business? It seems like an easy way to grow revenue fast. Upsell existing customers. But, here's the truth: adding more services rarely improves your business.

Here’s why:

1.) Training Takes Longer: Each new service increases employee training time. Think of McDonald’s. New hires can earn over $120/hour within days. They concentrate on performing a limited number of tasks with exceptional consistency.

2.) Marketing Gets Diluted: Too many services make marketing less effective. Your messaging becomes unclear, and customers might not see you as an expert in any one area. Adding more services is usually a distraction. You pay for it with brand confusion and higher customer acquisition costs.

3.) Time to Profitability Increases: Each new service often needs specialized tools and knowledge. This delays returns from new hires. This is hard in a tough labor market with high turnover in labor jobs. Also, new services usually raise your overhead. They increase equipment and insurance costs. More equipment means more storage space.

Unless the new service has an opposite demand curve (like snow plowing in winter and lawn mowing in summer), adding more may stretch your resources. It may also distract you from perfecting your core offering.

Focus on what you do best—and do it better than anyone else. That’s how you build a business that lasts.

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