Matthew E. May and Pablo Dominguez, Authors of “What A Unicorn Knows” — Matthew E. May and Pablo Dominguez co-wrote What A Unicorn Knows, releasing today (Feb 21)! They explain there is nothing random about becoming a unicorn. Growth-focused companies think about small steps, make experimentation part of the job, and most importantly, put the time and commitment into forming a strategy.
May and Dominguez are operators at Insight Partners. They joined forces to create a light book that’s dense in value and detail. The book strikes the balance between something easy-to-consume but thorough and detailed enough to take your executive team through to put your company on a growth trajectory.
What is strategy?
Strategy is vital to growth. May and Dominguez discuss how to make a strategy and why even well-established companies skip this part due to their inaccurate belief it limits flexibility or is a waste of time. In reality, a strategy expects change to happen, and is flexible. A great strategy forces difficult changes that are unlikely to be made otherwise.
May explained that many leaders choose to avoid this stage because it’s not fun, or is seen as a waste of precious time. Sadly, the people who take this approach actually waste more time than those who did the work and developed a strategy to win.
Where to play
As recession looms, inflation spikes, and companies tighten budgets it might make sense to expand “where you play” but May and Dominguez caution against this idea strongly. Focusing too widely actually dilutes your value and confuses customers on who you are and how you help them win.
May and Dominguez say instead of focusing on every area your customer is spending money, you should only focus on the areas you’re confident you can take first, second, or third place on the podium.
Experimentation is required for growth
The are no magical companies that just launch products and get it right over and over. High-growth companies and unicorns just experiment a lot. More experiments lead to more success. The challenge here, May and Dominguez explain, is when a company has success and clings to that model. But “every wave crests,” May explains. So, yes, devote time and resources to stuff that currently works, but also keep your eyes on what’s next.
Experimentation does cost money and does require time. And when it doesn’t yield immediate success most CEOs tighten the belt and focus on what is already working. That’s a recipe for a slow death and May and Dominguez explain experimentation should be a part of everyone’s job description.
Matthew E. May and Pablo Dominguez
Matthew E. May and Pabloe Dominguez are operators at Insight Partners. Learn about them at the following links:
- Buy the book on Amazon
- Connect with Matthew E. May on LinkedIn
- Connect with Pablo Dominguez on LinkedIn
- Check out the official book website
