I spent years helping other companies find their four words. It took me longer to find my own.
The search
I was a "brand strategist." So were thousands of others. I was good at it. But good isn't a strategy. I was in my own trap, competing on "better" in a crowded field.
I was the cobbler with bad shoes.
The shift
The four-word test I apply to every client? I applied it to myself.
What do I actually do that nobody else does the same way?
I find the micro-monopoly. The unique space a company can own. Not brand positioning. Not marketing strategy. Micro-monopoly strategy.
What changed
Everything downstream snapped into focus. Just like with my clients.
- The portfolio made sense. Every project was about finding a space to own
- The conversations changed. I attracted the right problems
- The work got better. I wasn't trying to be everything
- The site, the microblog, the way I talk about work. All aligned
The same framework works on companies, careers, and lives. Find what you own. Compress it. Align everything to it.
Four words. That's all it takes.