How I find market-bending strategies (without even trying)

This is the most powerful strategic technique that exists. So powerful in fact, that it isn’t only responsible for the development of the world’s best businesses —— it actually undergirds the development of every living thing on the planet. Oh, and what’s even better: it’s so easy that you barely have to lift a finger. […]

The 5 strategic mistakes (that don’t look like mistakes)

One of the things that makes strategy tricky, is that it’s war against yourself. It’s not really a knowledge-based discipline, like engineering or medicine, where you just have to know stuff. It’s more of a discipline of consistently and relentlessly going against your instincts, and what seems sensible at that moment in time. It’s sort […]

Sharing my vision: The Starbucks of Strategy

You know how they say “don’t talk about yourself, talk about your customer”? Yeah well just for today I’m going to ignore that, and talk about me me me – what I’m trying to do here, my vision for Basic Arts, and OK perhaps a little bit about what that might mean for you. Why […]

The only 3 ways to grow

Believe it or not, strategy is meant to make things easy. And the key to making things easy always boils down to this: Transforming an ambition into an act This applies to anything really. “Losing weight” (an ambition) is hard, because you might not know where to begin. But “stop eating sugar” (an act) is […]

Forget failure, here’s how to learn from success

Most of us are pretty good at blaming outside factors for our failures. The economy sucked My business partner screwed me Our team stinks Etc. Now I’m not going to tell you to stop making such excuses, and to start taking responsibility for yourself (even though you should). No, for the purposes of this piece […]

Literally everything I know about business in 3 bullet points

OK, I have a confession to make: I don’t really know what the word “marketing” means. I don’t know what the word “proposition” means. I don’t know what the word “positioning” means. I don’t really know precisely what any technical business word means, even “strategy” (or at least what other people mean when they say […]

You aren’t really trying to grow, and I can prove it

It’s hard growing your business. It’s hard coming up with creative ideas. It’s hard to get a breakthrough. It’s hard to really make things change …or at least, that’s what we tell ourselves. But what if it wasn’t true? What if all this stuff was actually pretty easy? What if the real reason it feels […]

Here’s why you struggle to make big moves

I think most of us here probably understand this simple idea: The main difference between the people who achieve extraordinary things, and the rest of us, is the willingness to take massive action. Like everything, this applies to both the personal and professional. The main thing that stops people achieving something – whether its getting […]

Why your company must also be an “idea”.

You’ve probably noticed that a lot of my writing focuses on the importance of communication in strategy. Or, more specifically, making your case. Standing in front of a group of people. Explaining your thinking. Laying out the plan. And getting them to enthusiastically agree. Indeed, I have gone so far as to say that if […]

Do you have to be an a*hole to be good at strategy?

This is quite a strange question. It’s strange because very few people are asking it. Nobody really assumes that you need to be an asshole to do strategy, so why would I even bring it up? It sounds like asking if you need to be Spanish to drive a train, or short to peel an […]