PTW/PI All-Stars Book Club – Chapter Twenty

Founder takeaway

Treat where you compete and how you win as one integrated choice. A market is only attractive if your company has a credible advantage there, and an advantage only matters in a market where customers value it.

Why it matters

Evaluating markets and differentiation separately can lead founders into attractive segments where they lack an edge—or toward capabilities that do not create meaningful customer value. Testing both together makes strategy more coherent and resource allocation more disciplined.

Relevant guides

Put it to work

For each target customer segment, complete this sentence: “We will win with this customer because ___.” What evidence supports both the segment choice and the proposed advantage?