Who This Helps
Founders and operators who feel stuck deciding what to do next. If you're juggling ten ideas but can't pick one, this is for you. The Strategy Basics: Competitive Map course gives you a clear, one-page artifact to cut through the noise.
Mini Case
Aisha runs a SaaS tool for e-commerce. She saw a 15% drop in new sign-ups last quarter. Her team had ideas: build three new features, slash prices, or target a new customer segment. She used the Differentiation Grid mission from the course. In 90 minutes, she mapped her tool against two key competitors using real customer feedback. The grid showed her product was weakest on a specific integration—a problem for 40% of her target segment. That became her single, high-impact experiment.
Do This Now (5 Steps)
- Grab a whiteboard or a large piece of paper.
- List your top three competitors. Not every company, just the ones your customers actually compare you to.
- Pick one core customer segment. Trying to please everyone means pleasing no one.
- Draw a simple grid. Label one axis with 4-5 things that segment cares about most (like price, ease of use, key feature).
- Plot yourself and each competitor. Use simple marks: a check for strong, an X for weak. Be brutally honest. Where are you the only check mark? That's your wedge.
Avoid These Traps
- Don't list every competitor under the sun. It dilutes your focus. Choose the right competitor set.
- Don't skip the evidence. "We're easier to use" needs a reason, like a 7-day setup versus a 30-day industry average.
- Don't try to fix all your X's at once. The goal is to find one shift that changes your strategy, not ten tiny tweaks.
- Don't build the grid in a vacuum. Use one customer interview or recent support ticket to ground each point. Your gut is good, but data is better.
Your Win by Friday
By this Friday, you'll have a messy first draft of your competitive map. That's the win. It's not pretty, it's practical. You'll see your real competitive wedge—the one thing you do uniquely well for a specific group. That clarity becomes your single priority for next week. No more spinning plates. Just one focused move. You've got this.