Dive deep into business, brand and strategy.

  • Stuck in product land?

    Stuck in product land?

    Let me paint you a picture that might feel uncomfortably familiar. Your Monday starts with a product meeting. Feature updates. Competitor analysis. Roadmap reviews. Your Tuesday? Sales calls focused on specs and capabilities. Wednesday brings engineering discussions about improvements and innovations. And somehow, it’s Friday, and you’re still discussing the product. Welcome to Product Land.…

  • The Four Levels of Market Position (Most Never Reach Level 2)

    The Four Levels of Market Position (Most Never Reach Level 2)

    “We’re customer-centric!”Every company says it.Few actually are. Here’s why there are four levels of customer focus, and most companies never get past level one: LEVEL 1: SAYING IT This is where most companies stop. It’s easy. It’s cheap. It’s just talk. LEVEL 2: PROVING IT Better, but still just evidence of claims. Not fundamental change.…

  • What if you stopped saying and started being?

    What if you stopped saying and started being?

    Most companies have it backwards. They say, “We’re easy to work with!” in their marketing, while their internal processes, policies, and decisions make life more complicated for customers. This is the fundamental difference between marketing-driven and positioning-driven businesses: Marketing asks: “What should we say?”Positioning asks: “What should we be?” Let me show you what this…

  • The “Uber for X” Trap

    The “Uber for X” Trap

    There’s a common misconception in startups about positioning that needs addressing. Many founders think finding an analogy (“We’re the Uber of…”) is positioning. It’s not. It’s lazy thinking that misses the real opportunity. Let’s look at Canva. They didn’t succeed by being “Adobe for non-designers.” They succeeded by deeply understanding an underserved segment in the…

  • THE DUMBEST THINGS I’VE SEEN ‘EXPERTS’ SAY ON LINKEDIN

    THE DUMBEST THINGS I’VE SEEN ‘EXPERTS’ SAY ON LINKEDIN

    My LinkedIn feed is a daily reminder that most “experts” have no idea what they’re talking about. But instead of just ranting, let me show you why they’re wrong and what you should do instead: “You need to build your brand!”Wrong: Your business IS your brand.Right: Focus on owning a concept in people’s minds. Every…

  • How to Kill a JAGUAR: McKinsey’s Guide from Ambassador

    How to Kill a JAGUAR: McKinsey’s Guide from Ambassador

    I still remember the first time I saw an Ambassador outside India’s Parliament. It was 1995, and the car wasn’t just transportation—it was power incarnate. Navy blue, gleaming chrome, and that unmistakable rounded silhouette that screamed “authority.” But by 2014, this giant of Indian roads would be dead, with production plummeting from 24,000 units annually…

  • The Positioning Playbook: How CEOs Really Save Companies

    The Positioning Playbook: How CEOs Really Save Companies

    Look, I’ve seen my fair share of corporate “turnarounds.” Most of them look like putting lipstick on a pig — fancy marketing campaigns, splashy rebrands, CEO interviews about “exciting new directions.” But here’s the thing: real turnarounds aren’t about the show. They’re about the soul. Let me tell you a story about perception versus reality.…

  • M&S’s Turnaround: Why Great Brands Start in the CEO’s Office

    M&S’s Turnaround: Why Great Brands Start in the CEO’s Office

    Let me tell you a story that challenges the conventional wisdom about who really builds a brand. (This article sparked my curiosity.) Marks & Spencer’s remarkable comeback isn’t just a tale of clever marketing. It’s proof that true brand building starts with the CEO’s vision, not in the marketing department. This isn’t about diminishing marketing’s…

  • The Trillion-Dollar Paradox: You Don’t Build a Brand

    The Trillion-Dollar Paradox: You Don’t Build a Brand

    It emerges like health. Think about health for a moment.You can’t “build” health directly. It emerges from consistent habits—quality sleep, proper nutrition, regular exercise, and stress management. The same is true for brands. You don’t build a brand through marketing campaigns. It emerges from consistent business decisions that deliver value. Look at the evidence: Steve…

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