How do you stay focused on one business when you keep getting new ideas?

I keep an "idea parking lot" in the note app on my phone. Every new idea goes there instead of becoming a new project. The funny part is that when I look back a month later, sometimes I have no idea what I meant. Between autocorrect and my own shorthand, I end up wondering who wrote the note and what they were trying to tell me. If an idea still makes sense after some time has passed and supports my main goal, then I know it's worth a closer look.

Hiiiii Robbie, first off respect!

 7 employees, real systems, and you stepping out of the weeds after only 3 years is not “baby stage” in my books. That’s a real business that took shape.

I think a lot of entrepreneurs confuse ideas with urgency.

New ideas are not the problem. They’re usually proof that your brain is wired and ready to always see opportunity. The dangerous part is when every idea gets treated like it deserves immediate action.

What’s helped me is separating ideas into two buckets:

1. Expansion ideas
   These make the main business stronger. Same customer base, same team, same systems, better margins, more lifetime value. A new Monarch division might fit here if it plugs into what you already have.
2. Escape ideas
   These usually show up when the current business feels slow, boring, stressful, or not “big enough” yet. Bin rentals, software, AI, marketing, etc. are great ideas — but sometimes they might also just be your brain looking for a dopamine hit because landscaping is the center of your mind...

My personal filter would be:

“Does this opportunity make Monarch easier, stronger, or more profitable in the next 12 months — or does it just make me feel excited today?”

Because excitement is can cost ya and execution/followup can get expensive.

I’d keep an “idea parking lot” and revisit it once a quarter. Write the idea down, give it 30 days, then see if it still matters. Most ideas lose their magic once they’re not allowed to hijack your week lol..

Also, the fact that you already let other ventures fizzle so Monarch could grow tells me you already know the answer: focus is probably your unfair advantage right now.

Give your ideas a waiting room — and only letting the ones that serve the mission into the boardroom.

Right now, Monarch sounds like the mission. Keep watering that. 🌱 Best of look to you!! (btw I love Monarchs...moths and butterflies in general)

This struggle is real for most entrepreneurs I've had the privilege of talking with. We are idea generators by design. I struggled with this earlier in my career until I came across a podcast (by whom or what the subject was really about, eludes me now). First was the idea list, currently this resides in my head unless it has been deemed worthy of putting pen to paper. Believe me the list of new business ideas is growing by the day (chuckle). Quick check to see if it should go on the list. Is it relevant to reaching my current business goal? Would it improve the product, the service, processes of my business or help me serve my clients better? I still have my moments and sometimes it's a focus on one thing at a time until it's done day. Oh, and this one has helped me the most...Please give yourself grace. Every day you are out there creating something from nothing and doing much better than you realize. Somedays we just need to give ourselves a little grace.

I can definitely relate to this.

What's helped me is recognizing that not every idea falls into a simple "yes" or "no" bucket. Instead, I categorize them as:

• Do Now – Supports the current business and helps move the needle today.
• Do Later – Aligns with the long-term vision but requires additional capital, people, systems, or maturity before it makes sense.
• Don't Do – Interesting opportunity, but not aligned with the mission or worth the complexity it would add.

When a new idea comes up, I evaluate what it would actually require and rank it based on impact, scalability, and alignment with my long-term goals.

I've found that many ideas aren't distractions, they're simply out of sequence. The real challenge is distinguishing between an opportunity that creates synergy with what you're already building and one that pulls you away from it.

For me, discipline isn't saying no to bad ideas; it's saying no to good ideas that don't belong in the current season. Execute one well, build the systems, hire the people, and then move on to the next venture when the foundation is strong enough to support it.

Hey congratulations on your 3 years! That is amazing.

First, do you service the GTA? I am looking for a small landscape business to send some leads I come across. Grass cutting, tree trimming, general lawn clean up...all comes into play when dealing with rodents or insects. I come across it a lot and would like a small business to send some work to, and to be your first call if you come across something I can handle!

Second and related to your question, those great ideas that you have can come in handy when you're in a slow season. If you take inventory of who on your team has other skill to offer, you may have a real, tangible revenue stream to work with.

Robbie, I also have had hundreds of ideas for new businesses. What I do when one comes up is email it to myself, and then file it away into a New Ideas folder. I have these going back for over 10 years. Sometimes I will go back and look at them and, honestly, most of them are pretty good ideas but when I think of them down the road I realize several issues with them. Such as, I wouldn't really like that line of work. Or they cost too much to startup with not enough income potential, etc. At the end of the day, anyways, there's only so much time and what's the point of starting a new business if you already have one that's working?  

You are not alone Robbie!

I share your experience of running many different things and being the motor behind all of it. Though I require a fast paced work environment at this point ( to avoid boredum), I am pursuing more things personally so I can fill those down times with personal developement. Learning a new skill, languages, mindset development, books, planning more family experiences, joining a kickball league etc. 

Recognizing that "everything in my life is worth pursuing 100%" allowed me to cut the things that aren't worth my time and pour more energy into the remaining things. 

Having said that, I still have ideas but it's much like patents. Just because you have an idea that you can patent, doesn't mean it's worth the cost. I have passed on ideas that were awesome, just not able to generate enough money to be worth the time. Some ideas remain a line or a page in my notebook, if it doesn't fit within my capacity to produce or outsource while keeping everything else in my life that I want, it becomes shelved. 

I think the way you stay focused on the business you have is by setting large enough goals inside that business.

If your goals are too small, it is easy to get distracted by the next idea. But when you set big, clear, ambitious goals for the business you are already building, you start to see that there is always another level available.

I think a lot of entrepreneurs deal with what people call "entrepreneurial ADHD." We see opportunities everywhere, and that's both a strength and a challenge. Early on, I found myself wanting to chase every new idea because they all seemed like they could be the next big thing.

What helped me stay focused was getting clear on my main goal. Now, when a new opportunity comes along, I ask myself a simple question: "Does this move me closer to my current goal, or does it pull me away from it?" If it doesn't support the business I'm actively building, I write it down and revisit it later instead of immediately pursuing it.

I've learned that not every good opportunity is the right opportunity right now. Timing matters. A legitimate next step usually strengthens what you're already doing, while a distraction often requires you to completely change direction or split your focus.

For me, focus comes from having a clear vision and being disciplined enough to say "not yet" to opportunities that don't align with my current priorities. The ideas will always be there. The challenge is staying committed long enough to turn one of them into something successful.

Hey Robbie, congrats on building Monarch to a 7-employee team with solid systems in place—that is a massive milestone, especially in just 3 years!

​I hear you loud and clear on the "entrepreneurial ADHD." Having spent over 30 years in industrial maintenance, engineering, and now running my own solo exterior cleaning business, I can tell you that the urge to jump on the next big idea never really goes away. It hits hardest when things slow down or when you feel like you aren't moving fast enough.

​Here is how I look at it and how you can protect the powerhouse you've already built:

1. ​Use the "Idea Sandbox" Rule When you get a brilliant new idea, don't strangle it, but don't run with it either. Write it down in a dedicated notebook or doc. Give it a 30-day cooling-off period. If it still looks like a goldmine in a month, look at it again. Nine times out of ten, the initial excitement fades, and you'll realize it was just a distraction disguised as an opportunity.
2. ​Distraction vs. Next Step: The Synergy Test To figure out if an idea is a legitimate next step, ask yourself: Does this directly feed Monarch, or does it steal resources from it?

• ​Distraction: Software, bin rentals, or a marketing agency. These require entirely different supply chains, marketing strategies, and operational focus. They split your mind.
• ​Legitimate Next Step: A new division inside Monarch that serves your existing customer base (like offering exterior cleaning/pressure washing or seasonal services to the clients who already trust you). If you can upsell it to the database you already paid to acquire, it's expansion. If you have to build a new audience from scratch, it’s a distraction.

1. ​Channel that Energy Into Optimization When things slow down and your brain starts hunting for a dopamine hit from a new startup, redirect that energy into tightening your current ship. Use that time to dial in your sales processes, audit your equipment maintenance, or improve your digital portfolio and Google visibility. Treat Monarch like an ongoing engineering project—there is always a system you can optimize or a bottleneck you can clear.

​You already made the best decision by letting those other ventures fizzle out to focus on Monarch, and the results speak for themselves. You've got a great thing going in Ontario. Keep your blinders on, keep building those systems, and only expand when it directly scales the foundation you've already laid.

​Keep crushing it, man!