How to make an innovative product idea go mainstream
There’s only one thing tougher than having loads of competitors: having no competitors at all. Although the presence of other brands similar to yours comes with lots of challenges, it’s easy to forget the advantages it confers as well: It means you’re operating in an established market It means there are people out there who […]
Dare to be bad at something
The market, sadly, does not reward allrounders. When Andre Agassi was two years old, his dad taped a tennis racket to his hand so he could get in on the court, even though he was too young to properly grip the handle. Such a one-dimensional upbringing most of us would consider to be horrifically skewed, […]
How aggression creates iconic brands
Of all the things a business can aspire to, there is one I believe that outstrips all the rest: to be a case study. Case study businesses are those that other businesses return to, again and again, as a benchmark for how things should be done. Case study businesses are taught in MBA programs, cited […]
The problem with strategic models, and why I don’t use them
You wouldn’t build a house without a hammer. You wouldn’t paint a fence without a brush. And, in much the same manner, many people wouldn’t develop a strategy without a model. Strategic models are generally seen as the “tools” required to do strategy, and as such are the mainstay of management consultancies, corporate away days, […]
Break invisible rules – the easiest way to stand out
Nobody likes to think of themselves as a follower. A sheep. As someone who slavishly adheres to the rules and behaviours set by everyone else. A herd animal, mindlessly marching in step with the crowd, never thinking for themselves. But the truth is, we all are. Even the most outrageous rebel will, on 99 metrics […]
Effort is the enemy – why hard work is overrated
Success and effort, we’re assured, are inextricably linked. There is no success without effort, and (short of some cruel misfortune) there is no effort without success. You want something? Then put your back into it. Starting a business? Be prepared to work 20 hour days. This narrative – that sweat is the currency that buys […]
The Way – an introduction to systemic strategy
Strategy is a word a lot of people have problems with due to its muddled usage over the years, particularly in business, however in essence its meaning is very simple: The path by which something will succeed. That something could be a company, a book, a play, an idea, a relationship, a government policy; any […]
What nature teaches us about strategy
Many of us are fond of using natural allegories in business. Most of these (such as “viral” or “organic” growth) are so embedded in the vernacular that their natural origins have been forgotten — however, there is one analogy which still draws on the natural world in a very conscious way: Darwinism. Darwinian language — […]
TEDx talk: Love your competitors – how great businesses do strategy
There is a surprising driving force behind great business ideas, and successful business strategies: Refusing to compete. This is the theme of this TEDx talk I completed earlier in the year with TEDx Folkestone: Love your competitors: how great businesses do strategy. Typically we’re told that competition is an integral part of business, and therefore […]
The upgrade paradox – why great products are bad for business
A few weeks ago Apple were hit by a 10% slump in their quarterly profits, thanks largely to a decline in sales for the new iPhone. Not ideal, certainly, but not wholly unanticipated either. Far from being an aberrant result, this blow is just the latest sign of a wider phenomenon that is progressively hitting […]