Who This Helps
You're a founder operator who needs to communicate insights to stakeholders and get a strategy approved fast. You don't have time for fluffy decks or endless meetings. You need a compact evidence-based map that shows where you win, where you lose, and what move to make next.
Mini Case
Meet Aisha. She runs a B2B SaaS startup and needs to convince her board to pivot to a new customer segment. Instead of a 50-slide deck, she built a one-page competitive map using the Strategy Basics: Competitive Map course. She focused on one market shift, one competitor set, and one segment wedge. The result? Her board approved the pivot in 3 days instead of 3 weeks. That's a 12% faster decision cycle.
Do This Now (5 Steps)
- Pick one market signal – Scan for a single shift that changes your strategy. Ignore noise.
- Choose the right competitor set – Not every logo in the market. Pick 3-5 direct rivals.
- Select one customer segment wedge – Avoid diluted positioning. Focus on one group.
- Build a differentiation grid – Compare features, pricing, and customer love with real evidence.
- Define your moat signals – What protects you? List 2-3 durable advantages.
Avoid These Traps
- Too many competitors – You don't need 20 logos. Three is enough to show patterns.
- No evidence – Opinions without data get ignored. Use numbers, quotes, or test results.
- Forgetting the tradeoff – Every strategy means saying no to something. Be clear about what you're giving up.
- Overcomplicating the map – One page. No more. If it doesn't fit, it's not a map.
Your Win by Friday
By Friday, you'll have a one-page competitive map that your stakeholders can read in 2 minutes. They'll see where you win, where you lose, and what move to make next. That's a strategy artifact ready for execution. And honestly, it's kind of fun to see your business on one clean page.