Business Strategy: Fundamentals and OGSM
Feet on earth, eyes on the stars.
Time to update your CV?
Ambitious goals without solid ground under them create demoralised teams.
What is business strategy?
Academic roots in the 1960s: Alfred Chandler, Michael Porter. Connection to military strategy throughout history.
Survival was the main objective.
How did we get here?
We've moved from predictable local markets to global digital ecosystems (Amazon, Aliexpress).
Understanding the game: fluid objectives
You can't be thinking about growth when your ship is sinking.
Stabilise first, then grow.
Technology's pace
It has changed how business works, squashing any margin for improvisation.
Case study: Diego
An entrepreneur selling sustainable products. Early growth, then stalled. Decline came without anyone understanding why.
Getting hold of all possible information... everything is everything.
Materials on hand: shop sales, online sales, supplier purchases (with gaps).
The 5 analytical tools
1. RFM Report (Recency, Frequency, Monetary Value)
Segments your customers:
- Recency: when they last bought
- Frequency: how many times they've bought
- Monetary Value: total spend
Process: gather → tables → score → classify segments.
2. Competitive analysis
- Identify direct competitors
- Assess their offer and pricing
- Review their online presence
- Compare strengths and weaknesses
3. Trend analysis
- Historical data grouped by time
- Compare against sector benchmarks
- Spot peaks and dips
4. Expected projection
- Past sales → future forecast
- Cross-check with competitive data
- Adjust for key accounts
5. OGSM
| Component | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Objective | Primary goal |
| Goals | Specific breakdowns |
| Strategies | Actionable moves |
| Measures | KPIs |
FAQs
How do I research competitors? Google, their websites and social accounts, SimilarWeb, SEMrush.
How do I spot market trends? Google Trends, free sector reports, ongoing monitoring.
Why OGSM and not something else? For its simplicity, concrete focus and emphasis on measurement tied to reality. SMART or SWOT lean on human judgement without data backing them up.
SMART or SWOT? They depend on human opinion without evidence. Combine them with actual analysis.
Should I invest in marketing? Yes, but targeted and strategic, using RFM to segment. Facebook Ads, Google Ads.
What if I don't know how? YouTube, Coursera, Udemy. Step by step.
Conclusion
Do your analysis, review your data, adjust what needs adjusting.
External resources
- Google Trends: https://trends.google.com/trends/
- SimilarWeb
- SEMrush
- Coursera, Udemy, YouTube
CTAs
- Form: "Shall we start?"
- "Book my session" → networking 30 mins