Growth Strategy

You don't have to have the most innovative or cool product to make millions. This is the story of how a 100+ year old product jumped from $74 million in 2019 to $750 million in 2023. In the last few years, we've seen quite a few weird products thrive...Liquid Death, flamethrowers, and even JPG art fetching millions. Yet, Stanley's remarkable brand success stands out as one of the most extraordinary and weird business stories...ever! How the heck an ugly, not innovative, not unique, very old product became the most desired water container in the world? Here's how... Community Over Product: Like Stanley, brands that focus on fostering a sense of belonging and identity among their users can transcend the physical value of their products. It's not just about owning a Stanley cup; it's about being part of a broader narrative that celebrates sustainability, health, and collective identity. People trust people: Stanley's explosion in popularity, significantly boosted by TikTok, underscores the power of digital platforms in creating and amplifying brand narratives. Content creators and customers become brand ambassadors, weaving personal stories that resonate deeply with their audiences. Old but new: The once blue-collar cup remained relevant by introducing innovative marketing strategies without altering the core product and its quality. This balance of tradition and innovation is crucial for long-standing brands looking to rejuvenate their image. Crisis as Opportunity: Challenges like customer concerns and competitive criticism were handled with transparency and led to reinforcing brand trust. Stanley's adeptness at managing potential setbacks highlights the importance of responsiveness and responsibility. Brand is slow but pays: Stanley's gradual ascent to success is a testament to the value of building brand affinity over time. Instant success is rare and often unsustainable. Brands should focus on gradually building a loyal customer base through consistent quality and engagement. Cultural Contagion: Stanley's ability to become a 'cultural contagion' demonstrates the power of a brand to not just participate in, but shape cultural conversations and identities. This level of engagement is something competitors are keenly looking to emulate. Conclusion: Stanley's journey is a masterclass in brand resilience and relevance. It teaches us that true brand strength lies not in the novelty of the product but in the emotional and cultural resonance it achieves with its audience. As marketers, embracing these principles can lead to enduring brand loyalty and unprecedented growth.

Digital wallets (DWs) are the number 1 and fastest growing payment method globally. Yet not all DWs are the same. This is an analysis of the different players and business models behind them. These are 3 reasons why you should pay attention to DWs: —  5.2 bn users globally by 2026 —  50% e-com global share ($3.1 tn) —  30% POS global share ($10.8 tn) To understand how DWs differ (#strategy, positioning) we need to categorize them. These are my criteria: 1)  The types of players that are behind them: SuperApps, BigTechs, e-commerce players, banks, crypto providers, telecoms, big brands, etc. 2)  How they manage funds: DWs such as Apple or Google Pay (pass-through) don’t have their own balance, others such as PayPal process funding and #payments in separate stages, whereas Alipay and WeChat Pay are stored wallets, pre-loaded with funds. 3)  The kind of use cases they support (online or in-store with P2P, C2B, B2C, B2B, C2G and G2C variations). 4)  Their #technology: QR-codes (widespread in Asia) vs NFC (popular in Europe) or crypto wallets are examples. 5)  Their target audience: merchants, marketplaces, big brands, niche users, etc. 6)  The payment methods they support: credit or debit cards, bank accounts (A2A transfers), crypto, etc. Based on the above, I have identified 10 distinctive DW plays: 1. SuperApps in Asia that have evolved from simple wallets facilitating payment use cases to huge ecosystem behemoths with multiple plays (consumer, merchant, government, lending, etc).   2. Bigtechs like Apple and Google using DWs as vehicles to monetize their user base and expand beyond their core offering. 3. #ecommerce platforms like Amazon, Mercado Pago or Rakuten looking to boost their business and create new growth opportunities. 4. Ecosystem players in local or regional markets that use DWs to bring payments, digital platforms and mobile banking functionalities under one umbrella. 5. Banks looking to compete with new value-chain challengers (fintechs, platforms) on their own (front-end) customer-facing game. 6. A2A players like Venmo or Zelle focusing on social features, P2P payments, instant transfers, bank integration and competitive pricing to expand their offering. 7. Niche players using customization, vertical focus, rewards and loyalty programs and specialized offerings to service specific use cases (i.e. gambling, gaming, FX). 8. Crypto & blockchain players using DWs to bridge the gap with the fiat world and to offer new use cases. 9. Big brands like Starbucks leveraging DWs to build closed-loop FS ecosystems. 10. Telecoms in Africa employing DWs as a replacement for core-banking infrastructure.   DWs’ spectacular rise is not only democratizing access to #payments and to broader FS faster than any other point in history but it is also forcing players across the value chain (providers, merchants, banks, platforms, fintechs) to re-think their entire positioning and strategy. Opinions and graphics: Panagiotis Kriaris

The biggest risk when scaling Advisory firm isn’t client churn, it’s Partner churn and it's a big problem for most firms. In the past 12 months, fewer than 60% of newly hired Partners at the larger firms have lasted more than two years. The reasons vary, but the pattern is consistent: firms over-believe and under integrate. Those with Partner retention above 70% statistically build momentum and in turn, attract the stronger, harder to access talent and end up being the winners in their vertical. The rest stall and start to shrink. Integration is where most firms fall short. Business plans go unchallenged. Revenue projections are padded. Client portability is taken on faith. And references? Often internal, with the client’s perspective assumed rather than verified. Too many Partners overestimate their draw, underestimate the impact of non-competes, and ultimately underdeliver. This isn’t just a hiring issue; it’s a strategic one. Lateral Partner moves and M&A are essential levers for value creation within the industry. But without a structured approach to validating commercial ability, cultural fit, and real client relationships, failure rates will remain high. Smart firms are shifting focus, not just on who they bring in, but how they set them up to succeed, supported with thorough client-side diligence. Those who get this right won’t win by hiring more Partners. They’ll win by making more of them successful.

The best businesses do one thing well. They find their lane, focus on it relentlessly, and build deep value in that space before doing anything else. But I’ve seen too many founders get distracted, chasing new product lines, new markets, new ideas, before they’ve even mastered the one that’s working. It’s easy to mistake movement for progress. But growth comes from clarity, not chaos. Simplify your strategy. Get crystal clear on what makes your business valuable. Nail the execution. Then, and only then, scale it. That’s how you go from £200k to £20 million. Not by doing more. By doing less, better.

The biggest threat to long-term growth isn't losing consumers. It's allowing your product roadmap to be entirely defined by the needs of your past growth cycle. The pattern with every growing business is clear: the companies that win don't just serve existing consumers better. They successfully identify and build for their future consumers at the same time. Why is this so hard? Because your current, high-value consumers are the loudest voices. They consistently ask for small, incremental improvements or more complex variations of what already works for them. But tomorrow's consumers? They want something fundamentally different—often, they just want simplicity and clarity. Crucially, they remain silent until they choose your competitor. I've watched many new brands fall into this D2C trap. They keep building more complex product offerings for existing users, while the next wave of consumers only wants simpler choices. This leads directly to losing new market share to companies offering cleaner experiences. While expanding your business, remember this: An intense focus on your current consumer can become a serious constraint if you fail to look ahead. Your current best consumers got you here. Your future consumers will fuel your next stage of growth. #StartupLessons #BuildingaBusiness #Entrepreneurship