Entrepreneurs often see opportunities everywhere. Over the course of my career, I have started many companies, always looking for new ways to meet evolving market needs. But in addition to spotting and acting on opportunities, in recent years, I have learned how important it is to know when to focus — and how true growth often requires narrowing your focus.

As I started my career, I was in constant motion. I would perceive an opportunity or a gap in a market (and not just one market!) and I would jump in and build a company. It was exhilarating and I loved it, for a long time. All of the companies lived under the umbrella of The Advanced Group, but what I was building was a collection of companies that did not share much beyond their ownership and the shared services team I created to support them all. Under this model, The Advanced Group was in constant evolution. My companies would sometimes pivot, sometimes expand, or, if they stopped adding value, be sold or shut down. By the early 2000s, I was operating seven companies across different areas, including IT and healthcare consulting, executive search, and drug development.