When you think about growth, does your mind immediately jump to one word: more?
More products. More services. More clients. More sales. It feels intuitive, right? If you want a bigger business, you sell more things to more people, right?
Erm. More could cost you. What if your best-selling product that is bringing in the most revenue is quietly dragging your business down?
Top revenue doesn’t always mean top profit.
If you focus only on what sells the most, you spread your resources thin, drain your team’s energy, and leave you wondering why your bank account doesn’t reflect your hard work. That’s why in The Pumpkin Plan, I teach entrepreneurs to stop chasing every opportunity and start nurturing the right one – the “seed pumpkin” that can grow your business sustainably and profitably.
The hidden goldmine in your business
Every business has a hidden goldmine. It’s not buried under a pile of new ideas or hidden in the next product launch. It’s right in front of you: your most profitable product or service.
Not the one that sells the most.
Not the one that gets the loudest applause.
The one that quietly delivers the highest profit with the least resistance.
When you find it and focus relentlessly on it, you unlock the secret to sustainable growth. But first, you need to recognize the difference between revenue and profit.
Revenue is vanity. Profit is sanity.
It feels good to watch sales roll in. Seeing that top-line number grow gives you a rush and is proof that customers love what you’re offering. But revenue alone can be deceiving.
I’ve seen businesses celebrate skyrocketing sales quarters, only to realize they’re barely breaking even, or worse, losing money. Why? Because their best-seller required heavy discounts, complex delivery, constant customer support, or razor-thin margins just to stay competitive.
On the outside, it looked like success. On the inside, it was bleeding them dry.
How to tell if your best-seller is hurting you:
If you’re wondering whether your star product is actually a silent saboteur, here’s what to look for:
- Low margins – Are you sacrificing profit just to keep sales high? If your best-seller brings in the most cash but leaves little left over after costs, it’s not fueling growth. It’s stalling it.
- Complex or costly delivery – Does delivering this product or service drain your team’s time, energy, or resources? Complexity kills efficiency. If you’re bending over backward to fulfill orders, you’re paying a hidden price.
- High customer support demands – Some offerings attract more customer headaches than they’re worth. If one product consistently results in complaints, refunds, or hand-holding, it’s eroding your profitability.
- Emotional burnout -Even if a product is profitable on paper, if it burns you or your team out, it’s not sustainable. A thriving business isn’t just financially healthy and it energizes the people running it.
The Pumpkin Plan: grow less, stronger.
In The Pumpkin Plan, I share how farmers grow award-winning, giant pumpkins. Spoiler alert: they don’t grow dozens of pumpkins. They find the one seed with the most potential and ruthlessly cut away everything else. All nutrients, time, and care go into growing that one pumpkin to massive proportions.
Your business works the same way.
The smartest entrepreneurs don’t scale by offering more. They scale by doing less better. They identify their “seed pumpkin”, the product or service that delivers maximum profit with minimum drag and build their entire business around it.
A simple way to find your “seed pumpkin”:
Uncover your hidden goldmine. Here’s a quick audit to get you started. Grab a pen or open a doc and answer these questions honestly:
- List your top 3 products or services.
What are your primary offerings? - What % of total revenue does each bring in?
This shows where the money appears to come from. - What % of total profit does each generate?
This reveals where the real money is made. - How easy or hard is it to deliver each one?
Consider time, resources, team capacity, and complexity. - Which ones light you up and which ones burn you out? Passion matters. A profitable offer that excites you is far more sustainable than one that drains you.
Now, look for the product or service that:
- Has the highest profit margins
- Is easiest to deliver efficiently
- Generates strong customer satisfaction (think rave reviews, referrals, and reorders)
- Energizes you and your team
That, my friend, is your seed pumpkin.
Tough love: Cut to grow
Here’s where most entrepreneurs hesitate. Once they identify their seed pumpkin, they still try to cling to everything else “just in case.” But just like the pumpkin farmer, you can’t grow a giant if you’re spreading resources across every little vine.
Ask yourself:
- If you had to cut 50% of your offerings tomorrow, what would you keep?
- What product or service brings in the most profit per unit of effort?
- Which offering makes your customers rave, refer, and reorder?
The answers point you to where your focus should be.
It’s scary to let go. I get it. But trimming distractions isn’t downsizing, it’s right-sizing your business for healthy, scalable growth.
Real growth comes from focus.
When you align your business around your most profitable, efficient, and fulfilling offering, everything changes:
- Marketing becomes clearer because you know exactly who you’re serving and what you’re known for.
- Operations become smoother because your team masters one thing instead of juggling dozens.
- Profit grows because you’re no longer wasting resources on low-margin distractions.
- Your reputation strengthens because you become the go-to expert in your niche.
In short, you stop being a business that sells everything to everyone and start becoming a business that dominates in what matters most.
Final thought: Do less, better.
If you take nothing else from this, remember: Growth isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing less, but doing it so well that your business thrives without the chaos.
Stop chasing every sale. Because when you focus on maximizing your most profitable product or service, you don’t just grow, you flourish.
Wishing you health and wealth.
-Mike
Want a deeper dive? Grab a copy of The Pumpkin Plan, or reach out to a Pumpkin Plan Strategist today!