Extreme Medicine?

Great leaps in productivity often come from bankruptcy—one of the very rare moments when companies are forced into a fundamental rethink, with little time to spare…
The current recession represents a similar Threat, or Opportunity!
These extremes allow us the political freedom to jettison most of the baggage, make a fundamental review of all of the business basics, from a totally fresh point of view, and starting at the right place:

Opportunities: only four ways to grow a business (See Ansoff Matrix above)
1 Selling more of the current product to current consumers/customers
2 Selling new product to current consumers/customers
3 Selling current product to new consumers/customers
4 Selling new products to new consumers/customers

( No need to waste time looking for additional ways.)

Threats: apart from recession, the potential constraints on your business include
- Regulatory/Legal/Political developments
- Cultural/Social change
- Technological change
- Trade concentration/power/internationalisation
- Competition (innovation/substitution/wealth/ risk-policy)
Strengths: How good are you vs competition in consumer/customer eyes, on
- Brands
- Money and financial backing
- Marketing Personnel
- Sales Personnel
- Production facilities
- Research & Development
- Logistics facilities (outsourced help)
- Agency network
- Back-up systems and tools
Weaknesses are simply 'negative' strengths that dilute your ability to capitalise on the opportunities...


Nothing else matters, at all…..