I recently hired a handyman to fix a bathroom issue at home. He was confident, reassuring, and quick to say, “No problem, I can handle it.” Unfortunately, he could not. What was meant to be a straightforward fix turned into a bigger mess.
In the end, I had to bring in a proper plumbing specialist, a team that knew exactly what they were doing. They identified the problem in minutes, fixed it properly and left no surprises behind.
It cost more time and money but the lesson was clear that specialisation matters. There is nothing wrong with being versatile. However, when the stakes are high whether it is plumbing behind your walls or capital allocation behind your future, you want someone who lives and breathes their craft, not someone who dabbles.
This principle applies directly to my work. I work with specialist partners or people and teams who know their trade deeply, have lived through cycles, and stay in their lane. I do not work with generalists who chase every opportunity that comes along.
For example, if I’m speaking to an agricultural trader, I want to hear about agriculture, supply chains, seasonality, weather risk, or logistics. I’m not interested in a sudden detour into their latest Bitcoin strategy.
That does not mean Bitcoin is “wrong.” It means it is not their edge. In markets, edge comes from focus, repetition, and scar tissue. Specialists understand their risks, their limitations, and most importantly what not to do. Generalists often confuse activity with expertise.
The same discipline applies to me. I do not pretend to know everything. I do not chase trends just because they are popular. I focus on what I understand best, where my experience, judgment, and temperament give me a genuine advantage.
Over time, this has shaped how I select partners, structure portfolios, and say “no” far more often than “yes.” In investing as in home repairs, the goal is not to be impressed by confidence or broad claims. The goal is to get the job done properly with minimal damage and fewer unpleasant surprises later.
When things go wrong, and they always do at some point, you do not want a jack of all trades. You want the person who has fixed this exact problem many times before. Focus is not a weakness. It is the strength most people underestimate.