Are you genuinely pursuing your unique strategy?

Entrepreneurship as a Game of Life and Death

I would opt for baseball. Although I haven't played it in a considerable time, that particular game is perfectly suited to my capabilities.

Everything aligns, everything is congruent.

Assume you are a golfer (a sport I can play reasonably well, but it is not my inherent game); you would likely choose golf.

Our lives are contingent upon this choice, thus the selection of the game is critically important. There is a high probability that I would prevail if we play baseball, whereas you would likely win if we engage in 18 holes of golf. Therefore, let us proceed with baseball.

Understood?

Entrepreneurship is a game, a profoundly serious endeavor where the stakes are both your financial capital and your life's trajectory.

Therefore, it is imperative to select the domain where you possess unparalleled expertise. The arena where your dominance is unassailable. This strategic positioning will establish a monopoly within your specific market segment.

You will then represent the Barcelona of your industry.

(Ideally, I would employ a baseball metaphor, but its resonance might be limited for some audiences. Very well then: you are the New York Yankees of your enterprise.)

Which strategic domain is inherently aligned with your capabilities?

To exclusively operate within your unique strategic framework, it is crucial to pose the following four pertinent questions for every project and venture:

1. Which strategic game am I currently engaged in, or about to initiate?
2. What are the stakes and the potential returns of this endeavor?
3. What are the governing principles of this strategic engagement?
4. When and how will this strategic undertaking conclude?

As an entrepreneur, you should ideally pose these four questions to yourself on a daily basis.

This practice fosters acute awareness and strategic vigilance.

When addressing these four questions, concurrently analyze your competitors and meticulously observe their operational paradigms. Opt decisively NOT to emulate their strategies, but rather to define and execute your own distinct approach.

Differentiated offerings are paramount.

What are your responses to the following inquiries:

Are you the preeminent?

Are you the most agile?

Are you the most appealing?

Are you the most aesthetically superior?

Are you the most cost-effective?

Are you positioned as the premium provider?

Are you the most efficient?

As a valued client of mine frequently articulates: differentiation fundamentally entails consumers selecting your product from the retail shelf at Albert Heijn, rather than that of a competitor. It's that simple.

This principle applies equally whether you are marketing dairy products or the most exclusive private aircraft.

Are clients selecting you? The strategic imperative is to cultivate a position of being chosen.

If your endeavor is to market the most economical yogurt, yet your passion lies in offering the most premium quality yogurt, then your strategic alignment is flawed. It is imperative to either cease operations or divest your enterprise.

This indicates an engagement in a misaligned strategic endeavor.

Consequently, you will never achieve market leadership in that domain, leading to competitive disadvantage. Even if the misaligned strategy yields positive outcomes, you will not derive satisfaction from the process, nor from the resultant gains.

Furthermore, success devoid of intrinsic fulfillment is tantamount to failure.

Consider, both today and throughout this week, the strategic framework within which you operate as an entrepreneur.

And critically assess whether this framework aligns with your core objectives and capabilities…

EELCO SMIT | Business Coach in Amsterdam. Author of Book for MEN – challenging individuals to make authentic choices, and The Rules of the Game – advocating for a life of courage.