Success in your life depends greatly on the degree of focus you have in your actions and in your thoughts. Your approach determines success. But what is that best approach? What is a good strategy and what actions should you do at the right time on your success?

And whether it's more success in your life, in your sports or in your career, your own business...With what you're doing now, you already know how to achieve success with that. But how can you achieve more success and grow further? 

What is a better strategy and how do you set a better strategy for your business growth? 

Why you need to create a better strategy

A business strategy is important for establishing a successful business and continuing to grow your business in a future-proof manner. Business strategy is the basis of decisions made in a business. So the better your strategy, the better your decisions, the stronger you grow and the more relevant and successful you continue to grow.

How do you create a better strategy?

To create a better strategy, you need three things:

1. A clear definition of what strategy is, one that works across your business so you avoid confusion.

2. A structured framework for thinking about strategy, exploring strategic opportunities and possibilities for new and profitable responses so that your strategy has a chance to be a winning strategy.

3. A systematic process for creating, implementing, evaluating and renewing/adapting your strategy based on changing market trends, needs of your customers, opportunities and challenges. 

And a very important and often forgotten development...YOU! We often forget to implement ourselves, our own new developments and growth. After all, this represents new value in your offering, in your business and therefore new value for your current and new customers.

What is a clear definition of strategy? 

If you ask five people, you'll probably get five different answers. Here is a simple but extremely powerful definition of strategy:

A strategy is the answer to the challenges, which keep you from achieving your ambitions.

Strategy is primarily about the following:

1. Achieving your ambitions - your vision and your goals 

2. Recognizing the challenges you face in getting there: What is holding you back from achieving your ambitions? What makes it difficult to achieve your goals?

3. Describe how you will overcome these challenges and why you think your approach will work-in other words, the logic behind what you propose.

4. Outlining a coherent set of actions to implement your proposed approach.

An example

Take Apple's strategy for launching its new VisionPro glasses:

Ambition: Apple wants to launch and dominate the era of space computing.

Challenges: Apple doesn't have the technology yet. E.g. There is no chip powerful enough for what Apple wants to achieve.

Strategy: Apple is going to develop the chip. They decide to do it themselves instead of using a chip already on the market or partnering with another party. (Alternative strategies could have been to partner with Intel or Nvidia, for example, but a different strategy was chosen.)

Actions: They start developing and testing the chip. They hire the people, build the labs and figure out production. After the testing phase and once the chip is powerful enough, they put the chip in the VisionPro glasses.

A simple example that can make big impact. It is a decision by Apple that sets a clear direction for what to do now, taking into account its ambitions and challenges. Not a reactive, but a proactive and forward-looking strategy.

Your success is a choice

Create the opportunities that help you achieve your ambitions instead of thinking only about challenges that keep you from achieving them.

Your success is a choice

The challenge then is how to create and seize the opportunity!

You may also be wondering, "Shouldn't strategy be about the long term?" I always create short- and long-term strategies. Because the time frame of your ambition determines the time frame of your strategy:

For example, suppose you want to enter a new market in the next 6 months. Then you need a strategy for the next 6 months!

Don't confuse your longer-term ambitions with your strategy for achieving them! After all, it's all about knowing how to take the right actions at the right time to achieve your goals.

Maybe you have a vision of where you want your business to be in 3, 5 or even 10 years. But given the many changes we're all experiencing, it's impossible to know what you'll need to do in 5 years to get there. Just look at the technological developments around Artificial Intelligence. Three years ago, AI was barely talked about. And now AI has become an integral part of our lives and business operations.

So instead of wasting time and effort planning for something you can't plan for, focus on the challenges you can solve in the next 12 to 18 months. Once you've done that, evaluate where you are now and what steps are needed to get closer to your vision.

Innovative ideas + the right Strategy and Actions = Growth

Making more Impact through the right actions at the right time for the right people

This is what happens when you use the right actions properly and execute them well

A client of mine was looking for a growth strategy for revenue growth and more freedom/time for herself and her family over the next 3 years (For those interested: she achieved both goals within 1 year with her newly developed position, proposition and strategy).

Her challenges were numerous:

• Saying goodbye to some key customers (those customers who demanded too much time and energy from her against a non-value-driven offer and pricing strategy (read her prices were too low for what she was providing))
• Unsuccessful in acquiring new "high-value" top customers
• Her position and image, as she positioned herself not as a partner, but as operationally cooperative and not a leader, innovative by the "high-value" customers
• Many small customers, not large enough to compensate for the losses (vd customers she had parted with)
• In an effort to win new clients, her offerings had lagged behind her own developments and growth over the past few years, making it impossible to make her offerings profitable (and again, as we discovered during our strategy work, many of her services and clients were loss-making in time/energy and revenue)

During our intensive 1-on1 strategic collaboration and series of strategy conversations, we came to the conclusion to target new top clients and offer them a strategic and out-of-the-box solution. This was the answer, the central idea of the strategy. 

As a result, it began to position and profile itself as a true solutions leader and partner for its new top clients. Focusing on a standardized solution allowed it to scale up much faster and increase profitability.

Innovating to Grow Profitably.

As an opMARKable leader strategically working smarter, 

so you can spend your time and energy on the things that matter.

Your Gain in Impact, Revenue & Freedom

Strategic execution - an action plan with the right actions at the right time 

Fundamentally, a profitable strategy should provide clear direction, with clear actions and clear focus for your entire business. And whether you're working alone, with freelancers or have built a team, the whole thing needs to be right and, taken together, start delivering more. 

Consider:

1. Marketing & Sales = knowing which customer to target and with a clear value proposition 

2. Business Development (innovation and value creation) = not working on many small solutions, but focusing on the big challenges of your top customers. Focus on delivering just one solution instead of many customized solutions

Etc...

This is an excellent example of the "challenge-based" approach to strategy. My client faced her key challenges and instead of continuing on her old approach where she was sacrificing her time, energy and revenue, she focused on what really mattered in order to take the new steps in her growth and become successful again. And more importantly, she regained joy in her business, she regained the energy to go full steam ahead both in her life and her business. 

The definition "challenge-based" means stop developing our own solutions. Instead, offer innovative offerings that provide the solutions to your top customers' challenges.

For the floor: Innovative growth strategies in a changing market. 

The challenge-based definition I suggest works well for any strategy within your company. 

While every business obviously has its own specific challenges to solve, when it comes to your overall strategy, there is a set of fundamental issues and questions that must be addressed. Answering these questions is the foundation of any profitable strategy. 

If your current strategy does not cover these basics, and thus is not profitable, that is your first challenge to address!

How do you create a better strategy? What challenges are you facing to improve your strategy and grow profitably? 

 One Life. Lead it. Live it.

Have a great week,

Gerdi

Strategic Smarter Business, 

so you can spend your time and energy on those things that matter.

Whenever you are ready:

✅ 1:1 Executive Leadership Coaching - starting at 6 months
Successful women leaders and entrepreneurs looking to grow in revenue and freedom. From 6 months on a subscription model basis, executive and leadership coaching. Completely free, based on your needs I stand beside you as a strategic business partner. Because as Leader of your Future, you want to live and do business on your terms with unlimited freedom. Investing in your leadership position, your value, the value of your company and the value of your financial future.

✅ 1:1 Program onMarket Profitable - 16 weeks
Achieve remarkable leadership and a profitable strategy in 16 weeks, so you know exactly what you need to do to achieve your goals. Want to take a new step and go full steam ahead with their own business. Be strong in their leadership position and get paid for the value you deliver.

✅ Tailored Strategic Consulting 

No need for a long-term collaboration? But do you need concrete and quick strategic advice, which you can start working with immediately afterwards? Can be scheduled directly for 1 hour or 1 day.

New:

✅ DIY Program onMarket Profitable - 3 months

In 3 months working by yourself in my Online Academy on your remarkable leadership position and a profitable strategy, so you know exactly what you need to do to achieve your goals. 

Extra Bonus: 1:1 1-hour Strategic DeepDive and live Q&A sessions every two weeks

New:
✅ Monthly - Online Leaders Learn & Connect Business Meetings
Every month an online Business Meeting with content and connection.
A relevant topic each month with master class, templates and live Q&A New:

In June, I will start monthly: Leaders Learn & Connect Business Meetings 

Every month you can participate in an online networking meeting online. Every month I cover a topic and give an online Workshop about it. An interactive session where you not only enrich your knowledge but also become part of a powerful group of ambitious leaders and entrepreneurs. 

You can sign up monthly or become an immediate member of my Health & Business Leadership Community.  

You will read more about it in the coming days through the mail, my website and my posts. 

And for the visionaries who are already convinced and know what they have to do

 Claim your leadership spot here

New:
✅ Future Leaders Business Community Club
Monthly Learn & Connect Business Meeting
Access Community - frameworks, tools, templates, recordings.
Closed group communication for questions, interaction, networking
Live Business Meetings

New:
✅ Retreat Health & Business Meeting on Terschelling
Working with a group of like-minded people on health, mental/physical health, healthy and nutritious food, active outdoor activities, business meetings and workshops. Several days "out of office" and surround yourself with a group of like-minded people who, like you, want to grow as a healthy leader in a healthy and growing business and financially healthy future. For anyone who wants to grow in their own healthy way.

Living life as a healthy leader of a healthy future-proof business and financially sound future.

Invest in yourself, invest in your business and invest in your future

Achieve greater returns and grow profitably on a personal and business level

PS. If you would like to know how I can help you, your position or your company become the visionary leader of your life and business in your own remarkable way, schedule a free appointment with me. I will be happy to discuss what opportunities and growth possibilities I foresee for you. 

As Leader of Your Future = Living and Entrepreneurship on Your Own Terms

Book tips:

Books that have helped me in my Framework Business Strategy

John Lewis Gaddis - On strategic thinking

Patrick-Bet David & Greg Dinkin - Your Next Five Moves: Master the Art of Business Strategy

Alex Hormozi – $100M Leads

Alex Hormozi – $100M Offers

PS. I have a whole book list. If you are interested and would like to receive my favorite books list? Send me a message and I'll send you my favorites list. Sharing = multiplying.