Who This Helps
Founders and operators who feel stuck deciding where to spend their team's energy. If you're juggling ten 'good' ideas but can't pick the best one, this is for you. The Strategy Basics: Competitive Map course gives you a simple framework to cut through the noise.
Mini Case
Aisha, a founder, saw her new feature usage stuck at 15%. She had a list of five possible fixes. Instead of trying them all, she built a quick competitive map. It showed her one competitor was winning a specific user segment by solving a core workflow pain point. She focused her next experiment there. Two weeks later, usage in that segment jumped to 28%. One focused move, one clear win.
Do This Now (5 Steps)
- Grab a whiteboard or a blank document. Set a 45-minute timer.
- List your top 3 competitors—not every company, just the ones your customers actually compare you to. (This solves the 'right competitor set' problem from the course).
- For each, write down one thing they do better than you, and one thing you do better than them. Use real evidence, like a customer quote or a feature gap.
- Draw a simple 2x2 grid. Label the axes with two key buying factors for your customers (e.g., 'Ease of Use' vs. 'Depth of Features').
- Plot yourself and your competitors on that grid. Where's your open space? That's your potential wedge.
Avoid These Traps
- Don't list every competitor under the sun. Three to five is perfect. More than that and your map gets messy.
- Don't use your opinion as evidence. Use a customer interview snippet, a review, or usage data.
- Don't try to be everything to everyone. The course mission on choosing 'one segment wedge' is key—diluted positioning is a silent growth killer.
- Don't make it pretty. This is a working document, not a slide for investors. Ugly and useful beats beautiful and vague.
Your Win by Friday
By Friday, you'll have a one-page strategy artifact—a living document that shows where you win, where you lose, and the single experiment most likely to move the needle. It turns 'We should maybe do this...' into 'Our next test is this, because...'. You'll make faster decisions with compact evidence. And hey, you might even free up your brain for a proper coffee break.