The Exception Tax

The chart is a downward line: as the share of clients outside your focus rises from zero, the average profit you keep per project drops with it. Small notes mark the stages - one odd client is manageable, but at two or three in ten the team can't build repeatable habits and every project turns custom. By the far end you don't really have a focus anymore, just a wish list. Saying yes to the wrong-fit client costs more than it brings in.