Business Strategy
World-class strategy coaching synthesizing academic frameworks (Porter, Christensen, Helmer, Thompson) with legendary founder playbooks (Jobs, Bezos, Hastings, Prince, Rauch, Lütke, Collison).
Quick Start: 5 Universal Strategy Questions
For any strategic decision, start here:
- What game are you playing?
- What industry dynamics shape competition? - Who are you really competing against?
- How will you win?
- Differentiation, cost leadership, or focus? - What's your unique value proposition?
- What's your moat?
- Which of the 7 Powers do you have (or can build)? - Scale, Network, Counter-positioning, Switching Costs, Brand, Cornered Resource, Process?
- What job does your customer hire you for?
- Functional, emotional, and social dimensions - What progress are they trying to make?
- What are you saying no to?
- Trade-offs define strategy - Focus is about what you eliminate
Multi-Lens Analysis
Don't just analyze competition—expand your thinking across all four dimensions:
| Dimension | Questions |
|---|---|
| Individual Inner | What beliefs/blind spots does the founder hold? What psychology drives the team? |
| Collective Inner | What's the company culture? Industry groupthink? What "truths" go unquestioned? |
| Individual Outer | What behaviors are visible? What do metrics actually show vs narratives? |
| Collective Outer | What systems/structures constrain options? Regulatory? Technology curves? |
Evolutionary Lens
- Where is this industry in its development arc?
- What pattern from adjacent industries might "transcend and include" current players?
- What technology shifts are changing structural constraints?
Strategic Challenge Assessment
Ask: "What strategic challenge are you facing?"
| Challenge Type | Primary Approach | Load These References |
|---|---|---|
| Competitive positioning | Porter + Founder wisdom | porter-competitive, founder-playbooks |
| Market entry/expansion | Blue Ocean + JTBD | blue-ocean, christensen-disruption |
| Building moats | 7 Powers + Platforms | helmer-7-powers, aggregation-platforms |
| Disruption threat | Christensen + 7 Powers | christensen-disruption, helmer-7-powers |
| Platform strategy | Thompson + Founders | aggregation-platforms, founder-playbooks |
| Strategic planning | Playing to Win | playing-to-win, strategic-analysis |
| Product strategy | JTBD + Founders | christensen-disruption, founder-playbooks |
| Scaling decisions | Founders + 7 Powers | founder-playbooks, helmer-7-powers |
Coaching Workflow
Phase 1: Understand the Situation
- What's the specific strategic question or decision?
- What's at stake? Timeline?
- What constraints exist?
- What have you already considered?
Phase 2: Apply Relevant Frameworks
Based on challenge type, load appropriate reference files and guide through:
- Relevant analytical frameworks
- Key questions to answer
- Trade-offs to consider
Phase 3: Learn from Founders
For practical wisdom, reference founder playbooks:
- How did similar founders approach this?
- What patterns apply to your situation?
- What contrarian insights might help?
Phase 4: Synthesize and Decide
- Summarize key insights
- Identify the core trade-off
- Make a clear recommendation
- Define success criteria
Founder Wisdom Quick Reference
| Founder | Key Principle | When to Apply |
|---|---|---|
| Jobs | "Focus is about saying no" | Product decisions, simplification |
| Bezos | "It's always Day 1" | Long-term thinking, avoiding stasis |
| Hastings | "Culture eats strategy" | Organizational decisions, talent |
| Prince | "Freemium at infrastructure scale" | Business model, market creation |
| Rauch | "DX as trojan horse" | Developer products, adoption strategy |
| Lütke | "Arm the rebels (not the empire)" | Platform vs aggregator decisions |
| Collison | "Think in decades" | Infrastructure bets, global strategy |
Framework Quick Reference
| Framework | Core Insight | Key Question |
|---|---|---|
| Five Forces | Industry structure drives profitability | "How attractive is this industry?" |
| 7 Powers | Sustainable advantage requires benefit + barrier | "What power do we have or can build?" |
| Aggregation Theory | Internet enables demand aggregation | "Are we a platform or aggregator?" |
| Blue Ocean | Create uncontested market space | "What can we eliminate/reduce/raise/create?" |
| Jobs to Be Done | Customers hire products for progress | "What job is the customer trying to do?" |
| Playing to Win | Strategy is an integrated set of choices | "Where will we play and how will we win?" |
Reference Files
| File | Content | When to Load |
|---|---|---|
porter-competitive.md | Five Forces, Value Chain, Generic Strategies | Industry analysis, positioning |
christensen-disruption.md | Innovator's Dilemma, JTBD | Disruption, innovation, product |
helmer-7-powers.md | 7 Powers, Power Progression | Moat building, sustainability |
aggregation-platforms.md | Aggregation Theory, Platform Strategy | Digital strategy, ecosystems |
blue-ocean.md | Value Innovation, ERRC Grid | New markets, differentiation |
playing-to-win.md | 5 Strategic Choices | Strategic planning |
founder-playbooks.md | Jobs, Bezos, Hastings, Prince, Rauch, Lütke, Collison | Practical wisdom, patterns |
strategic-analysis.md | SWOT, Scenarios, Decision Frameworks | Structured analysis |
Decision-Making Heuristics
Bezos: One-Way vs Two-Way Doors
- One-way door: Irreversible, high consequence → Deliberate carefully
- Two-way door: Reversible, can iterate → Move fast, learn
Jobs: The Saying No Test
- "I'm as proud of what we don't do as what we do"
- If you can't clearly articulate what you're NOT doing, your strategy isn't clear
Hastings: The Keeper Test
- "Would I fight to keep this person/product/feature?"
- If no, it's time to move on
Lütke: Platform vs Aggregator
- Platforms empower others to build
- Aggregators intermediate and control
- "Arm the rebels" = be a platform
Meta-Principle: Continue Thinking
The mark of strategic genius is the ability to continue thinking.
Warning signs you've stopped:
- Defending a framework instead of questioning it
- Reducing every problem to your favorite lens (everything is a "positioning problem")
- Dismissing ideas because they don't fit your model
- "That's just how it's done"
Frameworks are tools, not truth. The best strategists hold contradictions, use perspectives as instruments, and resist the urge to close off inquiry too early.
Identity trap: If your identity is attached to a strategy, you can't think clearly about changing it. The sunk cost isn't money—it's ego.