"Do one thing, do it well"

That tagline was a slogan recently used by GMC Trucks extolling their skill in truck building. The underlying lesson was that by focusing on one type of product, they garnered an expertise and superiority that could only come from specialization. "Jack of all trades, master of none" as the old saying goes, but does that really hold true? Could anyone say that Ford makes a worse truck because they also have a full line of automotive products?

In some cases, it could be said that product diversification didn't work. Did anyone know that Smith and Wesson made a mountain bike? Or that Frito Lay made lemonade? Exactly.

The flip side includes companies that took a risk and stepped outside their comfort zones to create real success stories. Can you imagine if Apple never looked beyond computers?

Then there's the extreme cases of over- specialization. It seems like there's a dedicated position for ever little job out there. Hire a heating company to fix an issue with your furnace and they're just as likely to tell you you need a plumber, or an electrician. No Jacks here.

Seems like there must be happy middle ground between trucks and contractors. Apple found it, maybe we can all find just enough things to do right.