Rishi Shah, Illinois’ newest billionaire, was the guest at the latest DPELC-MSL Speaker Series event. As the CEO and Founder of Outcome Health, Shah made headlines when his startup received the largest single funding round of any Chicago venture-backed company in the past decade. At the Speaker Series, he spoke about his path to becoming an entrepreneur and answered student’s questions about how he balances the competing demands of doctors, investors and pharmaceuticals in the healthcare industry. Shah, however, also mentioned the one value that was instrumental to his success: the value of focus.

According to Shah, the value of focus takes many different shapes. On the one hand, he stressed the importance of being very specific about what your company is trying to achieve. “You’ve got to pick a very focused problem you want to solve and a very focused costumer for who you want to solve it,” he said. He went on to explain that your particular solution needs to be attached to a particular stakeholder that is seeking a particular impact. The narrower your objective, the better.

Focus also means using whatever resources you have, however limited they are, to their full advantage. If you have a small team, Shah suggests you ask what is at your company’s core and how can you improve upon that? Everything else can wait.

The value of focus even applies to your relationship with your potential customer. Shah also recommended talking to your potential customers, instead of spending too much of your time getting feedback from others. “You have to get to the end user and get their validation, instead of speculating with others.”

Why is focus such a big deal for Shah? “Focus will give you the internal constitution or conviction and energy required to persevere through all the friction you’ll face,” he said. Something to think about for any present or future endeavors you may have.