Business & technology

A founder’s focus: go deeper before adding more

Valon Asani · · 2 min read

Updated October 15, 2026

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Another idea is exciting. Staying with one long enough to become good at it asks more of you. That is the challenge I keep coming back to as a founder.

My argument is to go deeper before adding more. That means choosing one problem worth solving and staying with it long enough to learn something substantial.

Write down who you are helping, the problem you are trying to solve and what you need to learn next. If every answer contains several unrelated audiences or goals, narrow it further.

For a new project, the next useful step might be a conversation with someone who has that problem. For an existing product, it might be fixing a recurring frustration before expanding the feature list. Depth is not endless polishing; it is attention directed at the work that matters.

Keep a list of possibilities that are not priorities yet. You do not have to act on an idea immediately to take it seriously. Revisit the list when the current work reaches a clear decision point.

The caption mentions the familiar “10,000 hours” phrase. I would not use it as a guaranteed threshold for expertise. The useful principle here is sustained practice, feedback and a long-term direction. Before starting the next thing, ask whether you have given this one a fair chance to become good.

At dua, that question returned when we chose a clearer focus after reaching an international audience.

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For a practical example of choosing who you serve, read my five steps for building a community before a product.

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