I don’t know about you, but I love me some Chick-fil-a. There is just something about their Deluxe spicy chicken sandwich meal that puts me as a business coach over the edge. When you take the spice of the tender chicken and combine it with the sweetness of the Chick-fil-a sauce, it is a magical party for my taste buds. It doesn’t matter how many times I have gone to Chick-fil-a, it is the same every time. Not only do they deliver with immaculate consistency to the quality of the product that they offer, but they do so in such an excellent way that it exceeds my expectations. There is something exciting about knowing that I can go to anyone of their restaurants and expect to hear “my pleasure” and be served a rocking Spicy Chicken Deluxe Meal that I know I will enjoy. Chick-fil-a has it figured out. As the third-largest big chain in food by sales, chick-fil-a has grown dramatically in the past years. They went from the 7th largest to the 3rd largest big chain in food by sales but have significantly less stores. How have they been able to do this?
Two of the main reasons that Chick-fil-a is experiencing such amazing growth is because they focus on ONE thing and they are the best at that ONE thing.
– Forbes
According to Business Insider Chick-fil-a makes more money per store than any other fast-food restaurant. The average McDonalds brings in an average of 2.8 million dollars while the average Chick-fil-a store brings in an average of a whopping 4.6 million dollars. Even with their whoppers, Burger King can only seem to get to an average of 1.4 million. Taking into account that Chick-fil-a only has 2,400 locations across America, where McDonalds has around 14,000, and that they are closed on Sunday, Chick-fil-a is clearly doing something different at their locations that is setting them apart, significantly, from the competition. So what are they doing?
According to Forbes two of the main reasons that Chick-fil-a is experiencing such amazing growth is because they focus on ONE thing and they are the best at that ONE thing. Anytime you divide your time, energy, and focus into multiple areas, the quality of what you are able to produce declines significantly. Chick-fil-a understands this and has created a system and product that allows their company to focus on offering chicken, but not just any chicken, the best chicken. Their goal is to go above and beyond so that when you experience their product, you can tell that there is a noticeable difference in the quality from other places. I tested this out the other day for myself. I have some friends that have been raving about the Popeyes chicken sandwich. I had to try it for myself. I went and bought Popeyes regular and spicy chicken sandwich so I could give it a fair assessment. As I bit into the sandwich, I knew immediately that….. They weren’t even close to Chick-fil-a. They were greasy and subpar. In fact, I couldn’t even finish eating them because I started to get a stomach ache which I cannot afford as a business coach.
As a business coach, I see it so many times with my clients, where they want to do too many things at once. They want to be all things to all people. They create a business and instead of starting by doing one thing better than anyone else, they try to compete with other companies by spreading themselves too thin. In a world where we constantly experience decision fatigue and data overload, consumers are looking for simpler solutions that exceed their expectations with the excellent standards that they adhere to. Businesses need to start with one thing and do it better than anyone else. Once they have mastered that one thing, then they can begin to branch into additional areas.
Perhaps you find yourself today overwhelmed by the myriad of different products or services that your business coach company is trying to provide. Perhaps it is time you take a look at your portfolio and make some tough decisions. Perhaps you need to get rid of less profitable avenues so that you can focus more intentionally on growing your most profitable products or services. Perhaps you need to take a page out of the Chick-fil-a playbook and become the best at one thing instead of trying to be all things to all people. If you are willing to take an honest look at your business and focus your God-given energy and focus on exceeding customers’ expectations in one area, then you will be able to work toward expansion in the future if that is what you really want.
