At JDS Strategists we work with a lot of small to medium sized businesses who don't have unlimited budgets for research, but the power of data is crucial for successful strategy. Here Jack gives a quick overview of what you can use to gather information without breaking the bank.

In this short video Jack recommends best practice to rediscover the focus your business needs to grow.

Use your Commercial Strategy framework to structure your thoughts, then create your 'plan on a page'.  One page that captures the crucial elements of your strategy to keep you keep you focussed and on track.

Use this framework to gather the data and insights you need to start building your strategy.

Try answering this question, in one sentence: What is Strategy?  Not so easy.

‘Online’ has been shot in to hyperdrive, so how are traditional retailers responding? Most importantly, how should you, the brand owner, support and respond

The end is nigh . . . well perhaps not completely but we are edging ever closer to that tantalising taste of freedom. And with that brands are inevitably shifting from reactive ‘What now?’ decisions, to a more proactive ‘What next?’ stance.

Planning is the fundamental basis of management functions, and yet not as simple as it might first appear.  It involves looking ahead, relating current events with future opportunities - not an easy

Planning a D2C proposition? Here we condense down your key considerations to 3. All 3 need to work together to successfully sustain growth

From 'objective' through to 'performance' this will help you identify and deploy the right tactics to win.

You certainly don't want to be obsessed with competitor activity . . . but you certainly do need to be aware of it.

From the outset we have stayed true to our vision - true strategic partnership with business owners of up and coming consumer durable brands.  Interestingly though it raised the question of how we classify what we actually do.