Identify the Right Opportunity, Validate the Right Idea.
Build a Competitivve Advantage in 90 Days.
I’d like to start with a simple idea:
Most companies do not struggle because they lack ideas.
They struggle because they fail to identify the right opportunity, validate the right move, and execute before the window closes.
The real strategic challenge facing many companies today is clarity.
In fast-moving markets, leadership teams are surrounded by possibilities. New offers. New markets. New customer segments. New partnerships. New positioning ideas. New growth plays.
The problem isn’t if there are options. The problem is deciding which opportunity matters most – and whether it is strong enough to pursue.
That’s why I believe today, a competitive advantage depends on three disciplines:
Identifying the right opportunity
Validating the right idea
Executing with speed and focus
If you can do those three things well, you can create a meaningful competitive advantage within 90 days.
And that’s what I want to talk about today: creating a competitive advantage.
The challenge today starts wth clarity
Today’s markets move quickly, surrounding you with possibilities: new offers, new markets, new customer segments, new positioning ideas. The problem is deciding which opportunity matters most.
That’s why a competitive advantage depends on finding the right product or service idea, validating it, and executing it quickly.
The Strategic Problem Most Companies Have.
Most often, when people talk about strategy, they mean planning. But planning doesn’t mean creating an advantage. Creating an advantage means building something new.
Today, you need an edge: a position that’s stronger, more relevant, more compelling.
The First Discipline: Insight.
Once the right opportunity is defined, you need to determine if that insight it is real. Insight reveals information about the buyer and what they want. Is the idea and the opportunity real? Is the market large enough? Is there any competition? etc. Insights can change how the opportunity is understood.
From Insight to Concept
My definition of a concept is a strategic idea that emerges from a real opportunity. It is used to group things together or make sense of the information. It could be the central idea behind a product, brand, or campaign. For example, the concept behind my website is helping CEOs create a competitive advantage.
These concepts enable us to use vertical and lateral creative techniques to generate ideas that will generate results. For example, vertical thinking enables you to create ideas one step at a time.
Lateral thinking is a way of solving problems by looking at them from new, non-obvious angles instead of following the usual step-by-step logic. It helps people break out of fixed assumptions and come up with unexpected ideas or solutions.
Next is Validation.
Validation is the process of getting certainty from our ideas. Show your idea to the target audience and ask for initial feedback on whether they have the problem this idea solves. If the answer is yes, what does it cost to solve this problem? This will give you good information about the idea and whether there is a market for it. It saves time and money.
You not only validate your idea early to determine whether you have a viable product, but you also validate it again later in your creative process, when you think you have the perfect solution. You find out early which of your ideas is right at this time.
Next Comes Execution
This tells you whether your execution will turn your strategic thinking into a clear strategy that moves the market and enables the company to execute it with confidence.
Why 90 Days Matter
90 days is long enough to do the serious work that has to be done and short enough to create urgency.
In many ways, it reduces risk by avoiding bold mistakes or taking too long to make the move.
The process identifies good ideas early and eliminates poor ideas early.
You don’t need the biggest budget. And this process enables you to identify the right opportunity, create, validate, and execute winning opportunities.
Any questions? For more information. Please call me at 612-978-7222 or email me at jzitek@harborcapitalgro
A little about me
I have been in business since 1968, working in business and marketing strategy for everything from startups (including my own) to a partner in a large advertising agency. I have also made client presentations throughout my career.
I have worked for various companies and clients in a variety of industries, including Honeywell, Xerox, Diebold, RBC Wealth Management (old Dain Rauscher), Medtronic, Donaldson Co., and more.
Let’s Chat. I would love to learn about your goals.
Call me at 612-978-7222 or email me when you are available.
