Escape your Existing Market Trap...
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June Newsletter 062525-04-min

This week, we’re going after one of the most deeply embedded (and dangerous) beliefs in business: Positioning is the strategy.

 

In our new book, The Existing Market Trap, we finally said what we’ve been thinking for years: Positioning is not the answer. It’s the trap.

 

Here’s why:

 

The Fallacy of Positioning

Most people think positioning is smart. Strategic. Responsible.

 

“Let’s reposition our product.”
“We should tighten our messaging vs. competitors.”

 

But the truth is, positioning - by definition - is about placing your company inside an existing market. It assumes the aisle already exists. The problem and solution are well defined. And your job is to fit.

 

That’s not strategy. That’s survival.

 

Positioning tells you to find a big market, build something better, and then explain why you’re different. 

 

It sounds smart—until you realize you’ve set yourself up to fight against an established frame. At a distinct disadvantage. And for what? Scraps. Just a piece of the 24% that’s left of the category value after the Category King takes 76%.

 

What Positioning Misses

It doesn’t ask the real questions:

  • What unique problem are we here to solve?
  • What kind of future are we building?
  • What makes us truly different, not just better? 

    If you’re only positioning, you’re not building a category. You’re fighting for a place in someone else’s. The best companies don’t find their position. They define the playing field.

    Choose Wisely

    Positioning puts you in a market. Category Design puts you in the lead.

    One asks where you fit. The other asks what future you’re here to create.

     

    This is one of the boldest chapters in the book and it’s already sparking big conversations.

     

    If you’ve ever felt like your product was being miscategorized or your company misunderstood, this is a wake-up call. 

     

    Want to go beyond positioning? Let’s have a conversation.

     

    Map Your Team's Belief Alignment

     

    Since we released The Existing Market Trap, hundreds of founders, CEOs, execs, and investors have completed our EMT Diagnostic—and the results are already revealing powerful patterns in how the 13 Deadly Sins cluster across stages of growth.

    13 deadly sins R&D

    But here’s one thing we know: Belief doesn’t scale with one person. It has to move across the team.

     

    That’s why we’re encouraging leadership teams to go beyond individual insight.

     

    Run the EMT Diagnostic as a team. Compare notes. Look for spread.

     

    It’s a fast, founder-first way to surface misalignment, identify your collective blind spots, and spot which sins are creeping in.

     

    Here’s how to start:

    1. Have 3 or more team members complete the EMT Diagnostic →
    2. Schedule time to compare results as a team. Email: mary@playbigger.com 
    3. Build alignment and belief as a team.

    You’ll be surprised what shows up and what gets unlocked when the team shares a common view.

     

    Let’s escape the trap, together.

    The Play Bigger Team

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