Strategic Planning

Beyond the Plan: Strategic Management for Growing South African Businesses Problem Many founders think once the strategy document is done, the work is over. In reality, that’s when the hard part starts. Without ongoing strategic management, even the best strategic planning effort won’t translate into performance. So what is strategic management, and how is it […]

Avoiding the Traps: Common Strategic Planning Pitfalls for Small Businesses Problem Many founders go through strategic planning once a year and still feel stuck. The plan exists, but nothing changes. In South Africa, where time and resources are limited, a bad planning process is more than annoying – it’s expensive. Why do strategic plans fail […]

Choosing Your Play: Competing vs Creating in Business Strategy Problem Founders hear a lot of buzzwords: “Blue Ocean”, “Porter’s Five Forces”, “competitive advantage”. But what do these strategic approaches actually mean for a small business in South Africa trying to survive and grow? The danger is picking an approach based on hype instead of evidence […]

Strategic Analysis for Small Business: Seeing Your Environment Clearly Problem Many founders in South Africa make decisions based on gut feel or a few conversations. That’s often necessary at the start, but as the business grows, this can lead to nasty surprises: new competitors, regulatory changes, or shifts in customer behaviour that you didn’t anticipate. […]

Strategic Planning for Entrepreneurs: Turning Strategy into an Actionable Plan Problem You might have a strong vision and a sense of your business strategy, but when it comes to turning that into a plan, things get messy. Many founders in South Africa either: Never write anything down and operate in “permanent crisis mode”, or Produce […]

When you’re hustling to keep the lights on (literally and figuratively) in South Africa, the history of strategy can feel irrelevant. Why should a township retailer or SaaS founder care about Sun Tzu, consulting firms, or academic theories?

Strategic Planning for Entrepreneurs: What Strategy Actually Is (And Isn’t) Problem If you’re building a business in South Africa, you’ve probably heard that you “need a strategy”. But ask five people what business strategy is and you’ll get seven different answers. Some think it’s a vision statement. Others call any plan or target “strategy”. The […]

If you are building a business in South Africa, you know the reality: load shedding, funding gaps, and a wildly complex market. In this environment, “just hustling” isn’t a strategy—it’s a recipe for burnout.