Ever wonder why some founders sprint ahead while others burn out grinding on the wrong stuff?
However, it’s not about who hustles harder. It’s about who has the guts to focus.
In 2008, Jeff Bezos told a story that most founders misunderstood.
He talked about German breweries at the turn of the 20th century. Back then, no electric grid existed. So breweries built and ran their own power generators. Capital-intensive. Time-consuming. Totally distracting.
Then the electric grid arrived. Suddenly, a new wave of breweries emerged. They didn’t bother with generators at all. They brewed beer and only beer. And they wiped the floor with the competition.
Not because they had better generators. But because they stopped pretending they needed to be in the generator business.
That’s the part founders miss.
The real lesson isn’t “outsource infrastructure.” It’s this:
Know what makes your beer taste better. Build everything around it. Cut everything else.
Founders Are Still Running Generators
Look around. You’re probably guilty of it too.
- Adding features because a competitor has them.
- Chasing a new market because it looks “adjacent.”
- Taking on a customer who pulls you away from your strength.
That’s you, running a generator when you should be brewing beer.
The breweries that died weren’t bad at beer. They were bad at clarity. They thought they were in two businesses. They weren’t. They were only in one.
And so are you.
What Great Companies Actually Do
Every enduring brand is built around one crystal-clear competency:
- Stripe isn’t about payments, fraud, or banking. It’s about developer experience. Every feature, every line of code, every doc page ladders up to that.
- Apple isn’t about gadgets. It’s about integrated hardware-software experiences that feel magical. That’s why you’ll never see them ship expandable memory or open systems.
- Amazon isn’t about retail or cloud or logistics. It’s about customer obsession at scale. Everything runs through one filter: Does this make life easier for the customer?
They know what makes their beer taste better. And they’re ruthless about protecting it.
Step 1: Name Your Core Competency
Not what you wish you were good at. Not what investors want you to pitch. The thing you are actually, measurably, undeniably better at than anyone else.
That’s your recipe. That’s your beer.
Write it down in one sentence. If you need three bullet points, you don’t have clarity.
Step 2: Filter Every Decision Through It
Once you know it, the noise falls away. Ask:
- Does this feature strengthen our core competency? Ship it.
- Does this partnership amplify what we’re great at? Do it.
- Does this customer pull us off track? Walk away.
- Does this initiative dilute our focus? Kill it.
This isn’t minimalism. It’s precision.
Step 3: Reinforce the Moat
The breweries that survived didn’t just shut down their generators. They reinvested that time and capital into making their beer legendary.
Better ingredients. Better processes. Better taste.
That’s what you need to do. Pour everything into the thing that makes you undeniable. Build the moat so deep your competitors drown trying to follow.
Step 4: Cut Without Mercy
Here’s where most founders freeze. They know what makes their beer better, but they’re scared to let go of the rest.
Let me be blunt: if you’re trying to be good at ten things, you’ll be exceptional at none.
Your job isn’t to be everywhere. It’s to stand for something so clearly that your customers know exactly why they chose you.
Step 5: Repeat Until It Hurts
Clarity isn’t a one-time exercise. It’s a discipline. You’ll get pulled into shiny objects daily. The temptation to fire up the generator never goes away.
Your edge comes from saying “no” more often than your competitors.
Ruthless focus isn’t about doing less. It’s about doing more of what matters.
The Founder’s Takeaway
The electric grid didn’t just kill off generators. It freed breweries to finally be who they were: master brewers.
The same choice sits in front of you.
Stop pretending you’re in businesses you’re not in. Stop spreading yourself thin across “adjacent” plays. Stop thinking more features equals more value.
Pick the one thing you do better than anyone else. Build around it. Cut everything else.
Because the market doesn’t reward generalists. It rewards founders who know what makes their beer taste better and have the courage to bet the company on it.
So, founders, what makes your beer taste better?
