Building a business should be like creating a destination, not erecting a fortress.
Grow Your Business, Not Your Inbox
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4 min read
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To be successful, your startup needs a “line of attack,” a strategy for “dominating” the market. The first step? Claim your “beachhead.” When that’s been successfully “conquered,” build “fortifications” to protect it from “invasion.” This foothold also serves as a base from which you can conduct further attacks to gain more “territory.”
Military jargon is commonplace in business. But, this rhetorical shortcut — that a company is a fortress surrounded by a moat — is misleading and counterproductive. Selling is not about “conquering” customers. Similarly, your business is not your kingdom. And your competitors are not your sworn enemies to be fought with to the death.
As any experienced entrepreneur knows, there is no such thing as “your” market. You cannot conquer customers, and you certainly don’t own them. Nor can you protect them from your competitors.
The customer is sovereign. Your role is to serve.
Starting and running a successful business is not about keeping everybody out