Four Strategic Options. Four Business Journeys.
Last week, I wrote about Vision and Strategy – highlighting that strategy only matters if you have a clear vision for your future. It’s a simple truth: no vision, no strategy, no need.
But once you do have that vision, you’ll also start to see your current reality more clearly – and the journey between those two points soon reveals itself.
Vision. Reality. Path.
Today, we focus on that path.
There are four strategic options available to every business owner – four very different business journeys. Each is defined by the thinking, decisions, and behaviours it demands – and the results it delivers.
Which one are you on?
Is it the one that will lead you to build the business, results and lifestyle you want?
Once you have a clear vision for the future and can see your current reality, the next step is to choose your path.
The strategic option you choose (consciously or not) won’t just shape your journey – it will define your destiny.
And just like strategy itself, each option is defined by its potential for impact and how long that impact will last.
Here are the four strategic options – and the very different journeys they take you on.
1.
Option 1: Same, Same
– No Change
This is the most common path. People doing what they’ve always done – same thinking, actions, and results. Change is avoided. Comfort is prioritised. Goals are often small, vague or missing entirely.
There’s no real strategy here – just repetition. This is the realm of Task Thinking: busy work, doing for the sake of doing. It feels safe. But it won’t take you forward.
2.
Option 2: Same, Better
– Incremental Change
This journey is focused on improving what you already do. You react to what’s in front of you, adjust when things don’t go right. It’s the same game, played better – for marginally better results – but still using your current approach.
This is Tactical Thinking: short-term fixes, marginal gains. Useful in bursts, and while it can lead to positive change, it’s only incremental. Change that is easily undone.
3.
Option 3: Different, Better – Continuous Improvement
Now we’re talking progress. This journey is about raising the bar, being different and doing things better. The priority is progress. Growth is the goal, so the focus shifts from working in the business – to on it.
It’s about improving systems, developing people, products, resources, being different, and leading better. This is Operational Thinking – with a focus on structure, systems, resources and development that shapes thinking, increases efficiency, elevates performance and builds momentum.
4.
Option 4: Different, Better, Bigger – Transformational Change
This isn’t a simple upgrade. It’s a transformation – the kind that starts with bigger thinking and better questions:
- Who are we?
- Where do we want to be?
- What can our business become?
- What’s the key to unlocking our potential?
You’re not just improving what is already there – you’re rethinking about what’s possible. You’re gaining more clarity, increasing capacity, building capability.
It’s not about tinkering at the edges. It’s about reshaping the business from the inside out and the outside in. You are redesigning how your business works.
New model. New mindset. New momentum.
More team, more customers, more opportunity. More income, more freedom, and more life. Not just a more successful business – a more rewarding one.
In real terms, for those small business owners chasing growth – this might mean:
- Growing from a sole trader business to one with a team
- Expanding from a single branch to multiple locations
- Moving from one market to another
- Shifting your focus from delivery to design
Other times, it means thinking bigger, better, and differently – and may mean redefining your industry:
- Henry Ford didn’t build a faster horse – he built the motor car.
- Steve Jobs didn’t improve phones – he redefined how we live.
- Airbnb didn’t build more hotels – they changed how we think about our homes, travel, and holiday accommodation.
- Uber didn’t launch a taxi company – they created a digital platform to manage a ride-share transportation system.
Better tools don’t win. Better thinking does.
The Bigger Picture
All four journeys involve activity – but not all lead to meaningful progress:
| Journey | Thinking Level | What’s Valued | Typical Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Same, Same | Task | Comfort, stability | Minimal change |
| Same, Better | Tactical | Performance improvement | Short-term gains |
| Different, Better | Operational | Systems & people | Medium-term growth |
| Different, Better, More | Strategic | Vision & Leverage | Long-term impact |
The Choice Is Yours
Today’s problems are often caused by yesterday’s solutions.
You won’t solve them with yesterday’s thinking – and you can’t see the system fully from inside it.
That’s why perspective matters. That’s why strategy matters. And that’s why your next level starts with the path you choose from here.
There are four options. Four journeys. Four ways to change and move forward.
Task-driven?
No change (ad-hoc tasks, no structured progress)
Tactical delivery?
Incremental change (ad-hoc change as required)
Operational development?
Continuous improvement (planned change within the business system)
Strategic design?
Transformational change (a change to the business’ purpose, identity, or way)
Each path leads somewhere different. Each one feels different to be on. Each one creates a different experience for your customers – you, your team, and business.
4 Strategic Options: 4 Business Journeys. 4 Types of Thinking.
If you’ve got a vision – you can now see the path.
But are you on the right one?
The best part of being on the entrepreneurial journey isn’t the arriving – it’s the challenge, the striving, and the pursuit of something better, something different, or something more.
If you want help to clarify your vision, find the right path, or move along it faster – let’s talk – to see how I can be of value.
Or check out my Strategic Navigator, Accelerator, or Blueprint short-term, high impact options for gaining clarity, setting direction, focus and building more momentum.
Otherwise, keep an eye out for next week’s article – where I’ll be diving deeper into how to create transformational change, and why it’s worth pursuing.
Cheers,
Geoff
