Focus : The Future of Your Company Depends on It

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining . . . Informative . . . Sometimes Shallow
Review: In this book, Al Ries defines corporate focus as an organization's "necessary" and relentless pursuit to specialize within its industry. For example, one of Ries' examples, PepsiCo, should've focused on its core competency (the Pepsi cola brand), and spun off all other divisions such as its food chains division (KFC, Pizza Hut, Del Taco) and its snack foods division (Frito Lay). PepsiCo, he claims, will lose the war with Coca-Cola unless it focuses on just one enemy (Coke) rather than several. Interestingly enough, Ries's prophecy towards future focus within organizations happens to have become the biggest hit on Wall Street in 1997, and in the case of PepsiCo, came true.

Overall, Ries's call for corporate focus makes a lot of sense. He provides some wonderful examples throughout the book where companies have lost steam through a lack of focus, and then regained it through refocusing. In fact, probably the greatest contribution of this book comes from Ries's expansive milieu of business examples to support his focus-centered thesis. However, this book's downfall becomes apparent in its mid-section where Ries exposes his ignorance about other business philosophies that he imagines are different than his own. For example, his discussion of quality-based management (TQM) is hopelessly misinformed and biased, which will become obvious to even the neophyte in TQM philosophy. It is through his discussion of quality-based management where Ries's bias towards only his way of doing things is exposed. Also exposed is the fact that Ries's area of expertise is marketing, and he consequently pays less respect to others areas of business (namely, operations and support areas).

Although I enjoyed the many excellent business examples that Ries provides for the reader, and would recommend the book for that reason alone, I would not recommend the book as a whole. I believe that Ries's focus-centered thesis has trapped him to focus only on his way of focusing. To put it another way, Ries's focus will help a company perhaps attain its desired financial and market results, but can not contribute to the overall growth and development of the organization. As experienced here at JOICO, the word focus (without proper understanding) can be used in a multitude of different ways. Furthermore, we may focus on a certain type of product or market niche so much that we may miss the changing trends in the world that will someday make our focus and market dominance irrelevant. For example, Ries encourages Kodak to concentrate on its core competency, chemically processed film, and leave the digital stuff to another company. That may be good for Kodak's focus, but will probably kill Kodak in the long-term when chemically processed film becomes a thing of the past.

This book is very interesting, but I would not recommend it to the easily swayed business reader. Ries' is a sweet-talking salesman when it comes to his point of view, and it takes a well-educated outside view to see through some of his arguments.

Rating:
Summary: Focus! For your company and you!
Review: It is commonly believed that bigger is better. I also think so. Companies that are large in size selling a lot of versions of products targeting at many markets through many different distribution channels are in general regarded as successful. After reading this book, I find the key for companies to success is not to get everything in the market. In contrast, it needs to sacrifice, that is, to give up some versions of products or parts of target segments. Don't waste resources on areas other than the core business! If a company choose to diversify and over-extend, its revenues can undoubtedly be boosted in short-term. However, it will find itself in the trench in the long-term. Ries illustrates his concepts with a huge amount of great real-life examples, making me easier to understand. Only by having focus can your company know which ways to go. Focus! The future of your company depends on it!

I think the concept of this book is similar to what I have read from a book called "Now, discover your strengths" which main idea is to focus on enhancing one "strength" rather than on the "weaknesses". That means, it is easier for you to achieve better performance by putting effort on the area you are good at than that of you are weak at. Some companies get bigger even by expanding to areas they have little knowledge of, which is really dangerous. If the company is expertise in one area, it should focus on it. Concentrate on that area will make it easier for them to have greater achievement. If the company insist on spending time on the areas that it is not good at, it is equal to wasting time and money.

Focus! The future of your company and you depend on it!

Rating:
Summary: You can't afford not to focus
Review: It is so easy to try to have your business go in five directions at one time, especially when you are starting out and need the revenue. Read this book before you try the shotgun method of business development. If you are starting out in business you know that the truth is there is more opportunity than you can handle. Without focus you won't do justice to any of the opportunities you have before you. This book is simple and convincing.

Rating:
Summary: Either You Love It Or Hate It!
Review: Too many CEOs & businessmen did and are still doing the opposite.

"Focus" is easy to be convinced and same easy to be forgotten.

You should this book read at least once per quarter. To remember "focus".

Great book, great author.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant, witty, humorous, Al Ries is a genius!
Review: What new markets and synergies can we build through corporate diversification and brand extensions? This, Al Reis contends, is a loaded question, one that companies repeatedly answer and act on to the detriment of stock market success and earnings growth.

Reis argues that all to often the focus of a company is lost as acquisitions are made that have nothing to do with the core area of expertise. Strong brands are often diluted through ill-conceived extensions. The wrong extension serves to distract the company, and confuse the consumer as to what the brand stands for. V8 Splash anyone?

The loss of focus, and the accompanying deterioration of market share and competitiveness are illustrated though countless examples from virtually all industries. "Focus" is engaging to read, clearly illustrates the authors' arguments, and weaves just the right amount of humor throughout, to keep you smiling.

Focus is a simple but powerful concept. Not only does it make for spectacular business strategy, but investment choices, and the structure of your personal/professional life as well. If you ever feel like weight of your ambitions and varied endeavors is detracting from your achievements, a little focus must be in order. Read this book, you'll be glad you did!