Two step business plan

Ayman Al-Abdullah nails it in this short tweet: most businesses fail because they focus on everything except the two things that matter—getting customers and keeping them. That’s it. The rest is noise.

Why this hits hard

• Simplicity wins. It’s easy to chase shiny objects instead of core metrics.
• Customer acquisition + retention are the lifeblood of any company.
• Everything else—branding, culture, ops—exists to support those two.
• Focusing on fewer levers makes strategy clearer and execution faster.

Real-world proof

• Amazon obsesses over retention with Prime’s 98% renewal rate.
• Starbucks has a 27M-member loyalty app built to keep customers coming back.
• Dropbox grew from referrals alone—simple acquisition engine.
• Costco keeps margins low to retain customers for decades.