This week, I want to talk about why working harder isn’t the answer and how focusing on the vital few can completely transform your business.
The Hard Truth About Working Harder
Most business owners think the answer is simple: work harder, work longer, and success will follow.
And to be fair—there is a time and place for that.
In the early days of building a business, I did exactly that. I was working 60-hour weeks, saying yes to every opportunity, doing whatever it took to pay the bills and get things off the ground.
That level of effort can get you moving.
But it won’t get you scaling.
For business owners who want to take this further, business growth coaching can help you put it into practice.
At some point, working harder stops being the solution—and starts becoming the problem.
The Ceiling You Don’t See Coming
I hit this myself when the business was around 30–40% of the size it is today.
Everything went through me. Every client, every decision, every problem.
And that’s when I realised:
I’d built a business that depended entirely on me.
That creates a ceiling.
To grow, I had to:
Build a team
Empower people
Let go of control
Not everyone liked it. Some clients even left.
But it was necessary to create a business that could actually scale—and support the life I wanted.
The Game-Changer: Trivial Many vs Vital Few
Here’s the real shift.
As a business owner, you’ve got endless options:
Books to read
Podcasts to listen to
Ideas to implement
Projects to start
It’s overwhelming.
But the truth is:
Not everything is equally important.
You need to distinguish between:
The Trivial Many – the majority of tasks that feel productive
The Vital Few – the small number of actions that actually move the needle
This is where the Pareto Principle comes in.
If you’ve got 10 key projects:
2 of them will likely drive 80% of your results
And those few activities?
They can be up to 16x more impactful than the rest.
Why Most Business Owners Stay Stuck
The problem isn’t lack of effort.
It’s lack of focus.
Trying to do everything leads to:
Burnout
Overwhelm
Slower progress
Whereas focusing on the vital few leads to:
Faster results
Better decisions
More clarity
How to Identify Your Vital Few
If you’re not sure where to start, here’s a simple structure:
1. Define Your Vision
What does your 3-year future look like?
What needs to happen for you to feel successful?
2. Break It Down
If this overlaps with another part of your business, our Profit First service is worth a look too.
What needs to happen in the next 12 months?
Then the next 90 days?
3. Focus Weekly
What are the few key actions this week that actually move you closer to that vision?
That’s how strategic business owners operate.
A Simple Mindset Shift
You don’t need to:
Read every book
Listen to every podcast
Act on every idea
Just like you can’t watch everything on Netflix…
You don’t need to do everything in your business.
You just need to focus on what matters right now.
Final Thought
If you take one thing from this week, let it be this:
Success doesn’t come from doing more. It comes from doing what matters most.
Focus on the vital few—and everything else becomes easier.
If you’d like help identifying your vital few or implementing Profit First in your business, book a Free Profit Meeting or feel free to reach out:
Have a great week.
Stephen Edwards
Profit First Accountant & Business Coach
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