Some thoughts on positioning I shared with portfolio companies at Defy.vc. on Dec 17, 2020.

Many people in the startup ecosystem feel that a company needs to create its own category in order to succeed and create maximum value for its shareholders. Like most things in business, it’s not that simple. While some category creators and first movers become wildly successful, the majority simply don’t - and many fail. The odds of success are actually far better for category disruptors and subcategory creators.

Taking a structured research approach to the front end of positioning will save you a lot of time and trouble in prepping your team to collaborate and generate ideas for positioning and messaging.

If a company’s positioning and messaging are sharp, it’s much easier to do marketing, sell things and raise money from investors.

Simple, accurate and clear is often better.

Our 10-step positioning process