Every software company falls into the same trap: They build powerful features, stack them up like a Jenga tower, and then wonder why customers don’t care when it collapses. This is what I call the Feature-Resonance Trap — where companies obsess over what their product can do instead of why…

In every industry, there comes a moment when an outsider rewrites the rules, challenging incumbents to rethink their very foundations. For the AI industry, that moment is DeepSeek. The Chinese AI startup has burst onto the scene with a powerful combination of low-cost, high-performing models and an open-source ethos, challenging…

Positioning is not just a business buzzword but the foundation upon which companies build their identity, strategy, and long-term success. Yet, despite its importance, positioning remains one of the most misunderstood concepts in business. According to research, 70% of startups fail to scale beyond $10M ARR, with misaligned positioning as…

Finding Your Signal in the Noise The most powerful question in positioning isn’t “What do you do?”It’s “What do people say when you leave the room?” That’s your positioning. Not your LinkedIn headline. Not your elevator pitch. Not your resume. It’s the mental shorthand people use to define you. The…

It’s about what you own. Disclaimer: I wrote this post to build on the wonderful work Jon has shared, adding depth and nuance to his thoughtful breakdown of Canva’s positioning strategy. Jon’s insights are spot on, and my goal here is to expand the conversation. To highlight not just what…

In the business world, positioning is a concept often misunderstood, oversimplified, or confused with other marketing or strategic elements. Positioning isn’t a model we invent; it’s a force we align with. Just as Newton didn’t create gravity but identified how it works, positioning is an inherent dynamic in business that…

It’s a Force The biggest mistake people make about positioning is treating it like a model we created rather than a force we identified. This isn’t just semantic. It’s the difference between: Think of gravity. Newton didn’t invent gravity. He identified how it works. The apple fell the same way…

Disclaimer: I stole this post and hook idea from Dale W. Harrison. I’m a huge fan. Please take a look at Dale’s article first. Also, I did get his blessing before writing this.) The need to understand fundamental positioning is quite new to many marketers. Twenty years ago (when I…

Kait’s First 90 Days Kait just started as the first marketing leader at a mid-sized SaaS company. The team has never focused on marketing metrics before, and there’s no structure to measure impact. Kait’s excited but knows the road ahead involves setting up processes, getting buy-in, and translating marketing’s value…

Ever feel like ‘marketing’ (yes, quotes for suspicion) advice these days is just one big game of telephone? Someone tweets an idea, others retweet it, and suddenly it’s “the next big thing.” But when you dig deeper, it’s often the same recycled frameworks—louder but not clearer. Positioning is no exception.…

Imagine this: You’re standing in a boardroom, surrounded by executives in tailored suits, their calendars packed, their minds preoccupied with numbers, strategy, and growth. You’re here to advocate for design—not as decoration, but as a driver of meaningful change. You’ve prepared your slides, rehearsed your pitch, and chosen your words…

The push to ban TikTok in the United States may have been intended to protect national security interests, but it has also sparked an unexpected cultural twist: Americans are flocking to alternative Chinese apps. Rather than bowing to the “China is evil and will steal your data” narrative, TikTok users—many…