This is why companies are bad at strategy, and how to fix it.

May 28, 2025 Watch on YouTube

Big strategy exercises often loop you back to where you started. I call it the retrofit curse. Faced with a need, your brain grabs whatever is already in the fridge and tries to m…

Big strategy exercises often loop you back to where you started. I call it the retrofit curse. Faced with a need, your brain grabs whatever is already in the fridge and tries to make it work. Tuna, ketchup, hot dog buns. Fast and familiar, but not what you actually want. The mind does this to save energy, which is why rearranging the old pieces feels easier than creating something new.

Teams repeat that pattern with strategy. Results stall, then the offsite shuffles the same offers, the same audiences, and the same channels into a fresher template. New slides. Old assumptions. Same outcome. The way out is a clean brief. Name what you truly want. Challenge every constraint. Design the plan from first principles. Then document the choices so everyone can pull in the same direction.

If you feel stuck in that loop, send me a note. We will reset the brief and build a strategy that actually changes the results.

I'm James Archer.This is why firms hire me.

3 decades in marketing 20+ years in the C-suite Hundreds of firms advised

I know how to do this in the real world:

  • I’ve spent 20+ years in C-level positions
  • I ran a successful marketing agency for 12 years
  • I’ve helped 100s of businesses from startups to Fortune 500s
  • My work’s been featured in The New York Times, Inc. Magazine, Fast Company, and Entrepreneur.
  • I’ve delivered over 100 speaking engagements and written countless articles on these strategies.