Why real strategy is simpler and tougher than most marketers make it.
I was scrolling through my phone the other day and came across a photo of a makeshift over-pressurisation charge we built from sticks.
We were tasked with rendering safe a Sea Mine sitting in an active shipping lane (yes, you read that right. An actual mine). It had to be dealt with, quickly and precisely.
We didn’t have the proper equipment. So we built the frame from sticks. We shaped and placed the charge. We made it work.
And looking at that photo, I found myself thinking:
What right do I have to write brand strategies for clients?
No MBA. No marketing degree. Just a background in bomb disposal—albeit underwater (a tad cooler, right?).
But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense.
Strategy Isn’t Complicated. It’s Clear.
In that moment, the strategy was simple:
- Make it safe.
- Move it.
- Dispose of it.
That was the objective. And in this case, the objective was the strategy.
Clear. Non-negotiable. Life-or-death (maybe less death, but it was important, okay?).
Everything else, the plan, the improvisation, the sticks we tied together, was tactics and execution. Nothing fancy. Just what was needed to support the goal.
And that, in essence, is what brand strategy should be.
Where Most “Strategies” Go Wrong
The word strategy gets thrown around a lot in marketing.
But too often, what people call strategy is just a deck of vague ideas, buzzwords, and activities with no clear objective.
There’s no direction. No filter for decision-making. No outcome to aim at.
That’s not a strategy. That’s noise. And it’s exactly why so many small business owners feel overwhelmed or stuck, they’ve been given documents full of crap, not actual guidance.
What a Marketing/Brand Strategy Actually Means
A real strategy answers three things:
- What are we trying to achieve?
- What’s our approach to get there?
- How will we know we’re making progress?
That’s it.
It’s not a list of tasks. It’s the reasoning behind those tasks.
It gives direction. It sets the tone. It becomes the lens you use to prioritise and focus.
Everything else, your campaigns, your content, your marketing plan is execution.
Why This Matters to Small Businesses
Most small businesses don’t have time to waste on complex marketing theory. They’re under pressure. Often under-resourced. Usually spinning multiple plates.
They don’t need cleverness.
They need clarity.
The right strategy gives you that.
It simplifies decisions. It keeps things grounded in commercial reality. And it lets you build, adapt, and execute—even if the tactics mean building it out of sticks.
Final Thought
My background doesn’t come from case studies or business schools.
It comes from high-stakes environments where the objective had to be clear, and the execution had to work.
And the truth is, that’s where most real strategy lives.
Not in slides.
Not in buzzwords.
But in the quiet pressure of making smart decisions with limited resources.
If you’re a small business owner who’s tired of “strategy” that doesn’t help you move forward. Maybe it’s time to simplify. Start with the objective. Then build from there.
Even if it means building from sticks.
