The hottest Strategy Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Business Topics

Making Values More Valuable

PeopleStorming • 79 implied HN points • 17 Jan 24
💼 Business Strategy
  1. When developing company values, focus on creating a behavioral strategy rather than aspirational identity markers.
  2. Effective values highlight difficult tradeoffs between important elements like speed and inclusion.
  3. Frame values using the formula 'We favor X over Y' to capture key tradeoffs and promote decision-making alignment.

Clouded Judgement 1.2.26 - Authority Is the AI Bottleneck

Clouded Judgement • 10 implied HN points • 02 Jan 26
💼 Business Strategy
  1. Whether AI is allowed to be authoritative or only assistive decides its real impact: assistive AI saves time but usually doesn’t change results, while authoritative AI can reshape workflows and unlock big returns.
  2. Letting AI act forces organizational choices about where the source of truth is, what error rates are acceptable, who is accountable, and how to roll back mistakes — and those questions matter more than which model you use.
  3. Teams that get outsized returns pick narrow domains, set tight guardrails, and invest in data quality, observability, and rollback so AI can own outcomes and trust grows over time.

Luckin Coffee: From China’s Starbucks Slayer to a U.S. Newcomer

Gad’s Newsletter • 76 implied HN points • 07 Jul 25
💼 Business Strategy
  1. Luckin Coffee has opened its first stores in the U.S., challenging Starbucks with a tech-driven and low-cost business model from China. Unlike Starbucks, which focuses on a cozy café experience, Luckin aims for speed and affordability.
  2. In China, Luckin quickly rose to dominate the coffee market by capitalizing on growing coffee trends and offering cheaper prices, often around 30% less than Starbucks. Its strategy relies on small, efficient shops that serve customers through a mobile app.
  3. As Luckin enters the U.S., it faces higher operational costs and strong competition from established brands. It's likely to focus on novelty and convenience rather than just price, trying to carve out a niche among younger consumers.
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Welcome to Full Moon

New World Same Humans • 15 implied HN points • 04 Dec 25
🪑 Design Strategy
  1. Full Moon is a new space for deep thinking at the intersection of humans, technology, and business, aimed at designers, marketers, strategists, founders and other creative knowledge workers.
  2. It will publish a monthly deep-dive essay on each full moon and offers paid benefits like a monthly podcast, video Q&As, shorter Ideas, and early access to in-person events.
  3. The launch focuses on the future of design in an AI age, arguing that feeling, relevance, and human consequence matter, and members can gift a free year to someone aged 28 or under to bring younger voices into the conversation.

How to find your Blue Ocean[Storytime Saturdays]

Technology Made Simple • 99 implied HN points • 02 Dec 23
💼 Business Strategy
  1. The Blue Ocean Strategy helps you differentiate yourself in your career and business by finding a less competitive niche with high growth potential.
  2. Effortless at its core, the Blue Ocean Strategy offers the path of least resistance to success, but still requires hard work.
  3. To find your 'Blue Ocean,' look outside for unique ideas, seek diverse feedback, and explore different groups and communities for growth and innovation.

Gleneagles GC at McLaren Park #1 & #10

Wigs on the Green • 78 implied HN points • 10 Jan 24
🎾 Sports Strategy
  1. Gleneagles GC at McLaren Park is a challenging course in San Francisco, facing potential closure.
  2. The architecture and design of the first and tenth holes offer strategic challenges for players.
  3. Players need to consider various factors like angles, green contours, and risks to navigate the course effectively.

Small multiplies

benn.substack • 485 implied HN points • 09 Feb 24
💼 Business Strategy
  1. Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions have been aggressive in going for it on fourth downs
  2. Data can provide small advantages in decision-making, especially in frequent, low-leverage situations
  3. It's more effective to focus on doing what you're naturally good at and doing it consistently rather than constantly pursuing big data-driven optimizations

How to Exhibit at a Trade Show

Startup Real Talk • 242 implied HN points • 23 Oct 24
💼 Business Strategy
  1. Always stand in front of your booth to grab attention. Being visible helps you connect with more people.
  2. Start conversations by inviting passersby in with something interesting, like a giveaway. This makes it easier to engage them.
  3. Follow up quickly after the event. Use your notes to personalize your messages so people remember you and what you discussed.

Developing a Strong Strategy for Your Business

The Small Business Corner • 19 implied HN points • 03 Jun 24
💼 Business Strategy
  1. Developing a strong strategy is crucial for small businesses to focus efforts, overcome challenges, and achieve goals.
  2. A good strategy involves diagnosing challenges, formulating guiding policies, and taking coherent actions.
  3. It's important to differentiate between goals and strategy, address core challenges, conduct business reviews, focus on strengths, avoid reliance on motivation, and set achievable objectives in business strategy.

Rethinking organisation technology

The Uncertainty Mindset (soon to become tbd) • 119 implied HN points • 18 Oct 23
💼 Business Strategy
  1. Conventional hiring methods lead to rigid organizations. Instead, using open-ended roles helps companies adapt better to uncertainty.
  2. Open-ended roles allow employees to shift responsibilities and roles over time. This flexibility helps organizations respond quickly to changing situations.
  3. Organizations need to adopt different strategies for addressing true uncertainty, rather than just managing risk. This means being more open and adaptable from the start.

How SaaS Pricing Changed in 2025

Good Better Best • 3 implied HN points • 28 Jan 26
💼 Business Strategy
  1. SaaS firms focused heavily on packaging in 2025, with adding new plans being the single most common change.
  2. Credit-based pricing models surged about 126% year over year, making credits a much more popular monetization tool.
  3. AI features became a much bigger share of product roadmaps, rising roughly fourfold since Q1 2024.

Bowling strikes, bioinspired enamel materials, and unbeatable squash shot strategies

The Strategy Toolkit • 17 implied HN points • 10 Nov 25
🎾 Sports Strategy
  1. To hit a perfect strike in bowling, players need to focus on the right spin, speed, and the oil pattern on the lane. These factors help increase the chances of hitting the headpin effectively.
  2. By increasing the angle at which the bowling ball hits the headpin, players can create better deflection and make strikes more consistent.
  3. Using rotation and the right speed allows the ball to transition from sliding on the oil to rolling properly, which is crucial for achieving strikes repeatedly.

Organizational technology for uncertainty work

The Uncertainty Mindset (soon to become tbd) • 119 implied HN points • 06 Oct 23
💼 Business Strategy
  1. Uncertainty work is different from risk work. While risk work involves clear outcomes and known probabilities, uncertainty work deals with unknowns and needs flexible strategies.
  2. Everyday organizational processes shape how companies function. If these processes are based on outdated best practices that assume stability, they can hinder the ability to handle uncertainty.
  3. To succeed in uncertainty work, organizations must redesign their processes for hiring, goal-setting, and motivation. This means being open to change and creating conditions that encourage learning and adaptation.

Should you ever talk smack about your competitors?

Startup Real Talk • 145 implied HN points • 12 Feb 25
💼 Business Strategy
  1. It's usually not a good idea to criticize your competitors because it can make you appear weak. However, if you're a small player facing a giant competitor, it can be an exciting story to share.
  2. If you’re similar in size to your competitor, it's best to minimize mentions of them. Acknowledging them can give them more power, so keep your focus on your own strengths.
  3. If you’re the big player in the market, try to shift the conversation to something more positive about your brand. Being the giant can bring challenges, so it's wise to manage the narrative carefully.

what does durability even mean?

Superfluid • 53 implied HN points • 25 Jul 25
💼 Business Strategy
  1. In the AI market, just being fast and focused isn't enough anymore. Companies need to act quickly and take risks to stay competitive.
  2. Timing in launching a product is really important, as demonstrated by the different growth rates of Lovable and Replit. Even having a great product doesn't guarantee success if you miss the right moment.
  3. To succeed, AI startups should focus on unique strategies and strong processes because traditional advantages aren't as effective. They need to stand out rather than just copy what others are doing.

Kopi Kenangan, the Shein of Coffee

Math Not Magic • 117 implied HN points • 08 Aug 23
💼 Business Strategy
  1. Kopi Kenangan has revolutionized the coffee industry by pioneering a grab-and-go model for efficient coffee consumption.
  2. Kopi Kenangan's success lies in its digital-first approach, low-cost storefronts, and ability to differentiate itself in the competitive coffee market.
  3. Kopi Kenangan is not just a coffee company but a growing F&B conglomerate with expansion into new food brands and FMCG products.

Inside Ineos Automotive: Can Jim Ratcliffe’s Car Company Ever Be Profitable?

Huddle Up • 10 implied HN points • 18 Dec 25
💼 Business Strategy
  1. Jim Ratcliffe has poured billions into building the Ineos Grenadier as a modern recreation of the Land Rover Defender.
  2. Despite the rugged design, the business is fragile — weighed down by heavy debt and hit by tariffs and supplier failures that strain operations.
  3. The Grenadier is getting visibility and some buyer interest, but high costs and recurring problems make sustained profitability uncertain.

The Symphony of Strategic Roadmapping: A Personal Perspective on Product Prioritization

Product Power by Samet Ozkale • 78 implied HN points • 21 Dec 23
💼 Business Strategy
  1. Product roadmapping is like conducting a symphony with prioritization setting the rhythm.
  2. Key elements of a product roadmap include vision, strategy, roadmap, prioritization, and backlog.
  3. Balancing stakeholder needs in roadmapping, aligning short-term goals with long-term vision, and agile adaptation are crucial for successful product development.

Where's the Apple Ad Takeoff?

Next in Media • 58 implied HN points • 01 Feb 24
💼 Business Strategy
  1. The post discusses the Apple Ad Takeoff and how it connects to Messenger.
  2. The author shares their contact for help with messaging and content strategy.
  3. Readers can access the author's podcast and other content with a 7-day free trial.

How CMO Sophie Bambuck of The North Face, Nike, Converse, and Everlane Builds Brands for Everyone

the case for brand 💼 • 145 implied HN points • 24 Jan 25
💼 Business Strategy
  1. Sophie Bambuck believes in starting brand strategies by understanding your audience first. It's all about connecting with what they care about before thinking about how you'll reach them.
  2. Campaigns should have a clear goal in mind and allow for flexibility to adapt to trends or audience responses. You need both a fixed plan and room to react to what's happening in culture.
  3. A strong brand relies on consistent storytelling and values. If a brand forgets why it exists or tries to be everything to everyone, it risks losing its identity and becoming just another product.

Making Big Bets

The Breaking Point • 239 implied HN points • 11 Apr 23
💼 Business Strategy
  1. In business, take risks and make big bets to succeed.
  2. Balance safety and risk in making ambitious, company-changing bets.
  3. Have a budget of big bets each year to drive business growth.

Just make the decision

Russell’s Index • 13 implied HN points • 21 Nov 25
💼 Business Strategy
  1. You probably won't get it right on the first try, so it's important to be open to adapting your approach.
  2. It's good to limit risks and have a plan to roll back changes if things don't work out as expected.
  3. The best way to learn is by getting your product into customers' hands and improving from their feedback, even if it takes multiple tries.

Ruptures in the Mediascape: What Next?

The Future Does Not Fit In The Containers Of The Past • 66 implied HN points • 01 Jun 25
💼 Business Strategy
  1. The way we create media is changing. With new tools, creativity is becoming more personalized and can connect better with people, making storytelling more important than before.
  2. Conversations are now a key way we interact with media. This means we’ll start relying more on chat and voice rather than just searching for information like in the past.
  3. Brands will still be important, but they'll need to evolve. They should combine human emotions with smart technology to create strong connections with people.

We saw the future of B2B marketing...here are the takeaways

MKT1 Newsletter • 5 implied HN points • 07 Jan 26
💼 Business Strategy
  1. Being a generalist doesn't mean being 'mid'—keep deep expertise in one or two areas while learning enough across other functions to execute work end-to-end. That combo lets you move fast without constant handoffs.
  2. Modern GTM tools (enrichment, workflows/agents, and AI prompting) make it possible to run personalized, connected campaigns at scale, so random one-off marketing won't cut it anymore. Teams should own repeatable, end-to-end workflows instead of passing work between silos.
  3. Prioritize "learnings per minute"—create content that actually adds value and teaches something quickly, not just fills channels. Use AI for speed and orchestration, but keep humans in charge of creative judgment and high-quality ideas.

The Missing Multiplier

Perspective Agents • 3 implied HN points • 22 Jan 26
💼 Business Strategy
  1. Top leaders now treat AI as the most consequential global issue, and leading AI builders warn of rapid advances that could replace many entry‑level white‑collar jobs within years.
  2. Companies have the models and tools but are getting little financial benefit because they lack a Human OS — the people, workflows, incentives, and governance that turn AI capability into real value.
  3. This gap is both an organizational and career crisis: without rebuilding how people learn and work, roles from juniors to middle managers are at risk while AI‑native workers and new ladders will rise, so act now to build human readiness.

5 ways to be customer friendly

Good Better Best • 3 implied HN points • 22 Jan 26
💼 Business Strategy
  1. Meet customers where they already are by adding integrations and channels so they can use your product without switching platforms.
  2. Remove pricing friction and be transparent by offering public price-matching or ‘starts at’ enterprise pricing so prospects get a clear ballpark.
  3. Give customers flexibility and room to grow by adding more payment options and much higher usage limits so they won’t hit arbitrary barriers while experimenting.

Setting and Measuring Objectives

Build To Scale • 98 implied HN points • 05 Sep 23
💼 Business Strategy
  1. Setting clear and achievable objectives is crucial for organizational success. Avoid overly ambitious goals that may lead to dysfunctionality.
  2. Use a straightforward approach like SMART goals for setting objectives. Regular follow-ups help assess progress and address obstacles.
  3. Promote collaboration and alignment among departments in goal-setting. Encourage transparency, accountability, and coordination across the organization.

Why we have a freemium model

Founders Confidential • 19 implied HN points • 15 May 24
💼 Business Strategy
  1. A freemium model helps reach people who might not afford services otherwise. It allows companies to assist those, like students in developing countries, who are pursuing their dreams.
  2. Offering free services creates a lot of positive word-of-mouth. When people see value in free offerings, they tell others, which brings in new customers.
  3. Having a strong free tier pushes companies to provide a great user experience. It shouldn’t be frustrating to use; instead, it should show enough value to encourage users to consider paid features.

The PMF Paradox: Why Winning in AI Means Never Arriving

The Product Channel By Sid Saladi • 6 implied HN points • 04 Jan 26
💼 Business Strategy
  1. Product-market fit in AI isn’t a permanent destination but a treadmill that needs constant work to maintain.
  2. Winners can flip to losers very quickly because growth and valuations swing wildly and most AI startups fail fast.
  3. The old PMF playbook no longer works; companies must continuously iterate, monitor metrics, and adapt product and strategy to survive.

Fighting the Bandwagon Effect in Your Decisions

Ruben Ugarte's Growth Needle™ • 39 implied HN points • 20 Feb 24
💼 Business Strategy
  1. JPMorgan Chase is opening more physical branches, even though many think they're outdated. This shows that sometimes going against the trend can be a smart move.
  2. The bandwagon effect can lead people to make poor decisions just because others are doing something. It's important to think critically instead of just following the crowd.
  3. To resist the bandwagon effect, consider your own goals, gather diverse opinions, and take time to analyze options before making decisions. This can help you make better choices.

TBM 319: Surfing Inertia and Pendulum Swings

The Beautiful Mess • 158 implied HN points • 03 Nov 24
💼 Business Strategy
  1. Companies struggle with finding the right balance between team independence and overall coordination. Too much focus on one can harm the other.
  2. Inertia can make it hard for companies to adapt, leading to bigger problems in the future if they're not addressed. Leaders should recognize this and take action.
  3. Being open to change and adjusting how teams work can help organizations respond better to challenges. Setting the right incentives also supports a flexible mindset.

A Year in Books

ChinaTalk • 326 implied HN points • 13 Feb 24
📚 Literature Strategy
  1. Enjoyed using Audible and Voicedream app to power through a lot of text this year.
  2. Trended towards reading about war and technology rather than China books due to current events.
  3. Found 'The Social History of the Machine Gun' and 'Eye-Deep In Hell' insightful and impactful in understanding warfare.

A quick note before I mix things up a bit...

the case for brand 💼 • 43 implied HN points • 18 Jul 25
💼 Business Strategy
  1. There’s a difference between brands that look good and those that really work. A successful brand needs to be both effective and attractive.
  2. The author has faced issues of their work being copied without credit, underscoring the importance of original content in the brand strategy world.
  3. Changes are coming, including adjustments in access and format, and community feedback is encouraged to shape the direction of the content.

How To Define A Task

trydeepwork • 2 implied HN points • 01 Feb 26
💼 Business Strategy
  1. Treat tasks as units of noticeable progress, not just blocks of time, so you can clearly see what changed when it’s done.
  2. Very long or vague tasks break feedback loops: completion gets fuzzy, progress is hard to describe, scope creeps, and motivation drops.
  3. For big or exploratory work, break it into short probes with clear next-step outcomes you can complete in a few hours and sequence those probes to keep momentum and learning.