Most founders don’t understand strategy.
They see it as an elaborate plan — spreadsheets, brand decks, KPIs, and complex flowcharts that answer every question in your company.
But that’s not a strategy.
It’s a plan masquerading as a strategy, likely coming from someone who knows nothing about strategy.
Think about it.
Would 10 spreadsheets, a 90-page brand deck, a list of KPIs, and a series of flowcharts actually help you make decisions about your business?
If you’re honest, that answer is a resounding no.
Because a strategy isn’t meant to map out every decision for you in advance.
A strategy is a decision.
One that helps you make every other decision for your business.
It provides guidance, showing you what to focus on.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
One Decision That Rules Them All
A great strategy is a stupidly simple decision.
- "Turn OEM data into prioritized to-do lists."
- "Work with employees, not CEOs, to create processes."
- "Implement and train engineering teams on IaC workflows."
That's it.
Not 47 initiatives. Not a 90-slide deck. Not a year-long roadmap.
Just one decision that directs everything in your business.
Your Strategy Becomes Your Filter
Let's use the first strategy as an example: Turn OEM data into prioritized to-do lists.
Here's how it guides everything else in your business:
- The systems you create need to output a checklist
- That checklist needs to tell the team what to do
- You need to develop your own IoT interface so you can customize it for client needs
- You need to create a data strategy to understand what info is business-critical
- The dashboards you provide need to be easy to read
- Your to-do lists need to integrate with other platforms (like scheduling, billing, support requests)
- Those lists need to be easy to read
- You should focus your content on how data needs to drive decisions
- You should highlight those to-do lists in your marketing
- Every new offer you create should pump out a to-do list
- Your tone of voice should be practical
- Every new hire should help you implement these to-do lists better and faster
- Your ads should focus on showing the ease of running a team with a prioritized to-do list
The list goes on and on, but you get the point:
One decision (creating to-do lists) should drive every other decision (that list above).
And that decision is easy to remember, easy to understand, and something your entire team can focus on.
Imagine if, instead of a strategy, you received a 90-page brand book.
Making decisions wouldn't be as easy, because you'd have to flip through a book to maybe find an answer that can help.
Your strategy isn’t a document you reference quarterly.
It’s a decision you use daily.
The Acid Test for Real Strategy
Here’s how you know if you have a real strategy.
Ask yourself 4 questions:
- Can you explain it in one sentence?
- Does it help you say “no” as often as “yes”?
- Would your team make the same decision without you in the room?
- Is the opposite a viable strategy as well?
A strategy does all four.
If you didn't answer yes to all four questions, you don't have a strategy. You have a mess.
Find Your One Decision
So, how do you create a real strategy?
Find something that:
- Your team does exceptionally well
- Your ideal customers want or need
- Your competitors can't or won't do
Research your company, your ideal customers, and your competitors.
Find something you do that's different.
Then, make a decision to go all in on it.
Because when you have real strategy, you don’t need a 90-page deck to tell you what to do.
You already know.
And that, my friend, is how you build a business that actually works.
Until next week,
#SassyJason out.
✌🏼