Facing a specific problem? Start here

Competition · When a competitor cuts prices, first work out which of your customers they are attacking and how long they can sustain it. Three conclusions, common mistakes, three checks, and three plays.

Competition · When a competitor copies your product, first judge whether they copied the surface or the capability, and whether customers are actually leaving, before choosing speed, depth, or legal action.

Competition · Before entering a new market, settle whether your home base can survive a failed attempt, who defends the new market, and what capability travels with you.

Competition · When a competitor poaches a key account, learn whether it was lost on price, relationship, or delivery, and whether it is worth fighting for, before you act.

Competition · When a big company enters your niche, judge whether they are serious or casual and what their cost structure cannot do, then narrow, deepen, or ride the wave.

Negotiation · When a major customer pushes on price, find out their alternatives and internal constraints first, then decide whether to cut, trade, or walk. Three conclusions, common mistakes, and three plays.

Negotiation · When a negotiation stalls, find each side's walk-away option and real red lines, then change what is being exchanged instead of pushing the same term again.

Negotiation · When payment terms will not close, price the cost of the money sitting with the other side, then split the terms with instalments, discounts, or guarantees instead of fighting over days.

Negotiation · Before asking for a raise, work out what makes you hard to replace, what the market pays, and what your manager needs to get it approved, then pick the moment.

Negotiation · When a partner asks for more equity, work out whether they want recognition, control, or income, then use vesting, milestone adjustments, or profit share instead of a one-off transfer.

Workplace · When another department will not cooperate, look at what they are measured on and what your request costs them, then decide whether to change the exchange, escalate, or go around.

Workplace · When your boss will not take your advice, find out what they are accountable for and what they fear, then rewrite the proposal into something they can defend upward.

Workplace · When someone takes credit for your work, separate one-off from pattern and peer from manager, then decide whether to add a record, have a direct conversation, or change how you work.

Workplace · When you and a colleague are up for the same role, find out who decides, what they measure, and what the role requires, then decide where to put your effort.

Workplace · When a new boss is parachuted in, find out what they were sent to do, whom they listen to, and what they must deliver in ninety days, then become the person they need.

Team · When a key employee resigns, work out why they are leaving, which line breaks without them, and whether staying would actually stick, before choosing retention or handover.

Team · When morale drops, work out whether the cause is unclear direction, broken promises, or an overloaded team before reaching for incentives. Three conclusions, three plays.

Team · A layoff conversation is decided before it starts: set the criteria, the order, and the severance first, then the words. Three conclusions, common mistakes, three checks, three plays.

Team · When co-founders clash, first work out whether it is a disagreement about direction, about roles, or a breakdown of trust, then decide whether to talk rules, division of labour, or separation.

Team · When a key role cannot keep up, work out whether the role changed, support is missing, or the fit is wrong before you coach, move, or replace. Three conclusions, three plays.

Decisions · When cash is tight, compute your real runway first, then separate spending that buys the future from spending that maintains habit. Three conclusions, common mistakes, three plays.

Decisions · Before taking a project, look at who it will occupy and for how long, and what it leaves behind. Three conclusions, common mistakes, three checks, three plays.

Decisions · When the business is not taking off, pivot or persist is decided by the one piece of evidence that would change your judgement, not by feeling. Three plays.

Decisions · When the team is overloaded, hiring is the most expensive answer. Find the bottleneck and whether it lasts, then choose hiring, outsourcing, or cutting work.

Decisions · When a business line keeps losing money, cut or double down depends on what it still needs and whether the cause can change, not on what is already spent.

Crisis · When a complaint spreads online, stop the spread and unify the facts and the voice first, then choose how to respond. Three conclusions, common mistakes, three checks, three plays.

Crisis · When a supplier fails without warning, count days of inventory and which customers are hit first, then decide whether to secure stock, switch sources, or reschedule deliveries.

Crisis · When a negative story runs, sort it into true, partly true, and false, appoint one spokesperson, then choose between acknowledging, correcting, or staying silent.

Crisis · When a serious product defect surfaces, judge safety first, then scope and whether the batch can be isolated, before choosing a stop-sale, recall, or targeted fix.

Crisis · When your largest customer says they are leaving, find the real reason and their timetable, size the cash and capacity gap, then choose retention, a managed exit, or both.