Growth is hard, though not for lack of growth frameworks. What we suffer from is a lack of clarity—especially when it comes to how marketing and sales are directed, funded, measured, and held accountable. The 50/50/50 model is a deliberately simple growth model for B2B companies. While success will still ultimately be determined by execution, this framework […]
Understanding how firms compete—and why some outperform others—is central to business strategy. Competitive advantage explains not only a firm’s success or failure, but also broader industry outcomes, such as profitability, innovation, and market structure. Among the many frameworks developed to explain competitive behavior, Michael Porter’s model of Generic Competitive Strategies remains one of the most influential and […]
Every company likes to think its strategy is the sharpest tool in the shed. But the truth is, advantage doesn’t come from clever PowerPoints — it comes from the resources you’ve built and protected. Not just cash in the bank but also the kind of assets, capabilities, and intangibles that are hard for rivals to […]
Startups thrive on visionary founders who are deeply committed to their ideas. They identify gaps in the market, see opportunities others don’t, and possess the relentless drive to bring something new into the world. However, for all the traits that make them successful, founders are also susceptible to what tennis commentators might call “unforced errors”—avoidable […]
Generative AI has come a long way in a relatively short time from its early applications, focusing primarily on non-use case-specific text generation and data interpretation. As AI permeates more industries, the demand for more sophisticated and visually-driven data representation is becoming essential. While valuable, managers and analysts realize that raw data or text-based outputs […]
I first read about the servant leadership model in the 1990s, and it made a lasting impact on me. I was a young advertising executive with too much ambition and ego and not really a clue how to lead others other than through sheer will. While leadership models constantly evolve, servant leadership is a timeless […]
In most larger companies, middle management is the linchpin that holds organizational elements together and drives execution. However, these crucial roles can sometimes become points of friction, impeding the attainment of strategic goals, which leads to them being targets of criticism by leadership, employees, and shareholders. Interestingly, the fault doesn’t lie with the middle managers […]
Authors note: This is a revised post from a January 2024 article. I corrected a citation. Data-driven decision-making has been heralded as a silver bullet by management to better decisions, but cognitive heuristics and biases often cloud human judgment even with data, leading to suboptimal outcomes. With our immense amount of data, our brains use […]
Scaling a company is one of entrepreneurship’s most exhilarating and challenging phases. Having navigated this journey multiple times, I’ve distilled the crucial focus areas founders and CEOs must prioritize. These five pillars are foundational to scaling up and doing so sustainably and strategically. 1. Strategic Vision and Alignment As a CEO, your foremost responsibility is to […]
As a CEO, one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that you cannot simply assume things will get done. Assumptions can lead to missed deadlines, unmet goals, and, ultimately, a failure to achieve the company’s strategic vision. However, there’s a fine line between ensuring accountability and becoming a micromanager. This is where the […]
The 50/50/50 Model: A Practical B2B Growth System 
Porter’s Generic Competitive Strategies—Why Competitive Strategy Still Matters 