Why Use Unconventional Business Strategies

I thought my first tech strategy would be flawless—until reality hit. Six months in, half our initiatives were off-track, and stakeholder buy-in was crumbling. Sound familiar? Let's face it: most first-time tech strategies crash and burn. But what if you could flip the script? I've seen it all in my years as a tech leader. The good, the bad, and the "oh no, what have we done?" I've developed some unconventional approaches that actually work. Here are 5 game-changers to make your tech strategy stick: 𝟭. 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆 "𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻?" Imagine your strategy failed spectacularly. Why? By identifying weak spots now, you can fix them before they become real problems. Don't just plan for success – plan for setbacks too. 𝟮. 𝗖𝗼-𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 Get everyone involved, from junior devs to C-suite execs. In my last project, involving customer service reps early led to UX changes we'd never have considered. More diverse brains = better aligned ideas. 𝟯. 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗼 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 Prepare for multiple futures. When COVID hit, companies with flexible tech strategies adapted quickly. Make your plan resilient enough to thrive in various scenarios. Adaptability is essential. 𝟰. 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 Start with your end goal, then map the steps to get there. This Reverse Roadmap approach helped us trim 3 months off a recent project timeline by eliminating unnecessary detours. 𝟱. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝟰-𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿-𝗢𝗹𝗱 Channel your inner curious kid. Ask "Why?" about everything, repeatedly. Break big problems into tiny pieces. These first principles thinking can build a resilient and revolutionary strategic foundation. 𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙙𝙨? Because they force you to think differently, challenge assumptions, and create more robust strategies. Plus, the stats are scary: - 70% of digital transformations fail (McKinsey) - But nail it, and you could see 1.8x more growth (MIT Sloan) - 90% of startups sink due to bad tech choices (CB Insights) Don't be another statistic. These approaches have saved me more times than I can count, turning potential disasters into success stories. Ready to level up your tech game? Let's talk about it! What's your uncommon (but most effective) strategy tactic? Share your experiences in the comments!

ASYMMETRIC WARFARE AND MARKETING Asymmetric warfare occurs when two opposing forces with drastically different strengths fight each other. The force with smaller combat capabilities will adopt unconventional methods of fighting in order to combat the larger force that they would lose to head to head. We've seen these methods by insurgents in Iraq, the Vietcong in Vietnam, Rogers Rangers during the Revolutionary War, Ukraine vs. Russia and so forth. Asymmetric warfare allows the smaller opposing force an actual chance in the fight. This method of warfare exists in marketing as well. If a newly established shoe company decided to head to head against Nike, they'd fail every time. They will be outspent, out maneuvered and overpowered by Nike's sheer ability to dominate the market through spend and already established marketing outlets. In order to win, the shoe company must adopt a form of asymmetric marketing in order to combat the larger, more powerful entity. This method of marketing pits technical marketers (marketers who specialize in paid ads, often using orthodox marketing methods against a large spend) against growth hacker marketers (marketers who use any means necessary to drive impressions and growth through unorthodox marketing methods). In the end, the growth hacker marketers, capable of using asymmetric marketing methods, have a chance at gaining foothold and breaking down a barrier of entry into the market. When Clandestine Media Group began, I knew I couldn't compete against the larger, more established marketing firms in the industry. So, I offered to provide customers a one day photoshoot at a cost that was an actual financial loss to the business. The price was so low, that key marketing managers couldn't say no, it was too good to pass up, even if all they got was one good photo out of it they still came out on top. We then conducted the photoshoot and provided an over the top service. Where competitors were providing 30 - 50 edited photos from a shoot, we provided hundreds. In addition, we set out to create some of the most outlandish imagery the industry had seen. We rented UH-60 Blackhawks, zodiac boats, dog sled teams and armored personnel carriers to create imagery that nobody else could get. We created imagery that people would constantly seek out because it was something that typically cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to get and was usually reserved for the industry giants. This created a client list of some of the biggest companies in the industry and quickly established us as a legitimate option for senior marketing personnel to use for their content needs. As time went on, we raised our prices until we reached a level of profitability and a new business was formed. This method of business and marketing was a method of asymmetric warfare. It was asymmetric marketing and it was asymmetric business. The lesson here is always think outside the box, and create an unfair advantage.

I never thought I'd say this, but the weirdest tactics doubled our agency's revenue. When I was building my business, the same old growth strategies frustrated me just too much. So, I tried some weird tactics. I’m going to reveal them today. Here's how SilverSpace Inc. broke the mold and achieved explosive growth: ✅ Reverse Outsourcing: ↳ We hired local talent to manage offshore teams. ↳ Result? 24/7 productivity with improved communication. ✅ "Failure Fridays": ↳ We dedicated Fridays to experimenting with risky ideas. ↳ 80% flopped, but the 20% that worked? Game-changers. ✅ Client Swaps: ↳ We temporarily exchanged clients with partner agencies. ↳ Fresh perspectives led to innovative solutions and happier clients. ✅ Tech Detox Retreats: ↳ Mandatory off-grid team retreats boosted creativity and problem-solving by 40%. ✅ Grandma Tests: ↳ We had employees' grandparents test our products. Simplicity became our north star. ✅ Micro-Internships: ↳ We offered 2-week internships to students. It became our best recruitment pipeline. ✅ Storytelling Standups: ↳ Daily meetings became storytelling sessions. Team engagement skyrocketed. ✅ Reverse Mentoring: ↳ Junior staff mentored executives on emerging tech. Our innovation rate tripled. ✅ Virtual Office Hours: ↳ We opened our Zoom rooms to anyone for free advice. Lead generation went through the roof. ✅ Charity Challenges: ↳ For every project completed, we donated to causes chosen by clients. ↳ Retention rates hit an all-time high. :) These unconventional methods not only doubled our revenue but transformed our company culture. What will you add to the list? Ready to shake things up? Let's chat about how SilverSpace Inc. can help your business break free from the ordinary and achieve extraordinary growth. PC: Stephanie Smolders #AgencyGrowth #SoftwareDevelopmeny #GrowthStrategies