This panel covers why, in the early stages of developing your business, it's important to identify what your business does well, how to focus all your energy on that service, and how to leave all the rest behind.

The panel would include Aubrey Cornelius of Sprocket Communications, Eli Gerson from Design & Image, and Beth Barbee from Darwin Inc. All three have first-hand experience with identifying their companies' strongest suits.

Aubrey has first-hand experience on this topic: when she first launched Sprocket, the agency offered PR, social media, media buying and event planning services. But she soon realized that Sprocket's strongest points were PR, social media and media buying, and she cut event planning services from the list.

Since early on, D&I has provided a focused list of services, and Eli would speak to the benefits of specialization. He would also talk through the three types of value propositions and why it's best to specify what you do — and what you don't do — to potential clients.

When Beth founded Darwin in 2004, the company's goal was to help clients' brands thrive by staying a step ahead of the marketplace in how they positioned themselves and communicated their stories. The further into the business they got the more they realized the need to do for themselves what they were advising our clients to do: focus. Darwin shifted from being a firm that offered a wide range of creative and communication services to one that specialized in brand storytelling.

This panel is valuable to any business owner who is struggling with their company's identity, as well as to any early-stage entrepreneurs who are currently building out their business plans.