My strategy template for any company:

This was the third conversation on the same topic. Matt didn’t understand our strategy.

“The vision is too high level”, he said. “I don’t get the strategy.”

Now I was pissed. We spent hours as a team breaking the vision into steps: 3-year, 5-year and 10-year. There was a clear sequence and strategy behind it.

“The vision IS our strategy”, I said.

“But that’s over the long-run. I’m talking about the next one-to-three years. I can’t create annual goals if I don’t know what it is.”

Shit, he’s got a point.

There was too much blank space between the company’s high-level vision, and our annual goals.

I went back to the drawing board. Starting combing the best strategy books.

Matt was right. Our strategy wasn’t clear.

Turns out, I didn’t know what great strategy looked like after all.

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3 Pillars of Any Great Strategy

Here’s what confused me. I thought your mission, values, vision and goals equated to strategy.

Not true.

These things SHAPE your strategy, but they don’t define it.

Strategy is the bridge between your vision and annual goals. It aligns everyone around a 3-year plan, and gives the team something to anchor their annual goals to.

Every great company strategy has three core pillars:

1. Approach – your unique approach to achieve vision

2. Impact – the measurable impact of achieving vision

3. Market – who you’re targeting (primary, secondary, tertiary)

I call it “Strategic AIM” (convenient, right?) and teach this same framework to hundreds of founders through Highland.

Let’s run through each one, then you can grab the template for yourself…

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1. Approach

This pillar defines your unique approach to accomplish your 3-year vision. If your vision is the mountain you’re climbing, your approach is the path you take to the top.

• Your 3-year game plan

• Your key differentiators

• Your “core bets” (multi-year initiatives)

Your core bets put your approach into action. When creating annual goals, you align top priorities with this strategic approach and core bets.

2. Impact

The second pillar defines success criteria for achieving your 3-year vision. Focus on value created for key stakeholders: customers, team, shareholders.

• How will you measure success?

• Customer success? Revenue? Valuation?

• List specific numbers for each

Achieve your success criteria, achieve your 3-year vision.

3. Market

The third pillar defines your target market over three years.

• Who is your primary customer?

• Who is secondary?

• Who is tertiary?

Think of your market like an archery target. Your primary customer sits in the middle. Each successive ring represents a new customer type you can serve as your strategy takes hold.

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When crafting strategy, think “Strategic AIM”.

Approach, Impact, Market. This is your bridge between vision and annual goals.

Here’s the template to use at your own company:

⤷ Strategic AIM template

I hope you find it valuable!

Till next time,

Never say die 🏴‍☠️

Scot

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P.S. We’re already planning for the Highland Summit 2026, mid September in Whitefish, Montana.

It’s going to be epic. Interested in joining us?

Apply to become a member (takes 1 min):
https://joinhighland.com/apply/

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