Focus-Then-Expand Rule
Prove one clear point of view before pursuing adjacent business ideas
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 91%
The Focus-Then-Expand Rule is a sequencing decision for founders who can see many possible directions. First articulate what is missing, who shares that need, and the point of view the business can credibly own. Then channel early ideas into one defined space and give it a genuine attempt. Piera Gelardi warned that founders with limited resources can struggle to deliver when they announce several businesses or offerings at once. Expansion remains part of the plan, but it comes after the first focus has been established or has produced a breakthrough. The mechanism is concentration: one point of view directs scarce labour and makes the initial proposition legible, while later adjacency preserves ambition without forcing the company to execute every idea simultaneously.
Origin
Piera Gelardi connected this rule to Refinery29's early discipline. The founders had many ideas but concentrated them within a narrow initial focus, then broadened the company gradually over time.
Core principles
- 01A crowded market demands a clear view of what is missing
- 02A solid point of view gives early work coherence
- 03Resource constraints make simultaneous bets especially costly
- 04Expansion should follow a genuine attempt to establish the first focus
How to run it
- 1
Name the missing thing
Describe the gap that motivated the business and identify the people who experience it. Research whether the apparent gap represents an actual opportunity.
Pro tip Use a specific unmet need rather than a broad industry complaint.
Watch out Personal frustration does not automatically prove a market.
- 2
Fix the point of view
State how your approach differs and why your team is committed to delivering it. This becomes the filter for early ideas.
Pro tip If the point of view cannot exclude anything, it is not focused enough.
Watch out A vague point of view makes several unrelated ideas look equally urgent.
- 3
Choose one initial space
Direct available people, time, and creative effort toward one coherent offering or market. Defer adjacent opportunities rather than pretending to execute all of them.
Pro tip Keep an expansion list so deferral does not feel like permanent rejection.
Watch out Seven simultaneous promises are especially dangerous when one person wears every hat.
- 4
Earn the expansion
Give the first focus a credible attempt and look for a breakthrough or strong evidence before broadening. Expand gradually into opportunities that remain consistent with the core point of view.
Pro tip Use evidence from the first focus to select the next adjacency.
Watch out Do not call constant switching an expansion strategy.
In the wild
Refinery29 initially concentrated on style and independent fashion rather than launching across every topic its founders found interesting. The company later tested beauty, wellness, and other verticals as the audience and organisation developed.
→ A narrow opening focus created a base from which the brand could broaden over time.
Common mistakes
Launching every idea
Trying to deliver several distinct offerings at once divides scarce resources and weakens the chance of an initial breakthrough.
Expanding before clarity
Without a clear missing need and point of view, expansion becomes random rather than adjacent.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for founders with many ideas but limited people, time, or capital.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal when separate mandated workstreams must run concurrently or when one initial market cannot support a viable test.
From the transcript
“it first nail it in the you know in the space that you're that you're in”
“it's really hard to deliver on everything”
From the episode
253: How Refinery29 Defied Critics and Became a Digital Media Pioneer, With Co-Founders Christene Barberich and Piera Gelardi
Christene Barberich