Most strategy is, unfortunately, bullshit.

Complicated.
Dense.
Timid.

And more concerned with "optimisation" and "efficiency" than what really matters:

-> Making a big move that's going to change the game.

That's real strategy.

The kind that builds categories of one.
Inspires teams.
Locks-in customers.
Is written about in books.
Turns executives into legends.

...and frankly turns our boring business lives into a true adventure.

(Because I don't know about you, but I'm not here to shuffle papers until I die)

No Bullshit Strategy is how you do it.

If you want to be able to:

- Read markets like a book
- Conjure innovations nobody saw coming
- Build companies with no competitors
- Inspire teams to follow you into the unknown

...then you're in the right place.

Start here 👇

To work with me to develop a strategy like this, or embed these skills into your organisation, learn more here:

👉 www.basicarts.org/work-with-alex/

To get my ultimate strategy document template (that forces you to think the right way), totally free, grab it here:

👉 www.basicarts.org/template

To read No Bullshit Strategy, that helps you master these skills for the price of a cocktail, and which is passed around in the halls of many of the world's top brands:

👉 Go wherever you get your books

For video deep dives on these topics, check out my YouTube:

👉 youtube.com/alexmhsmith

And if you're a small business or want to learn these techniques yourself (or to use on your clients - I don't mind!), then you've gotta see this:

👉 www.strategyshortcutsystem.com

Business is an adventure.
Strategy is the map.

Let’s set out.

Alex

Alex M H Smith

This isn't a post about AI.

This is a post about you.

Moreover, it's a post about how your brain solves problems - a process that's more weird than you think.

It works for me, hope it works for you too.
__

This idea first appeared in richer detail on my newsletter, The Hidden Path.

To subscribe for free, go here: https://lnkd.in/eJSPsGUf

No Bullsh*t Strategy | Courage, meaning, and creation in business | Speaker | Author

When I do (and don't) use AI

Every night I sit here from 9-10.30pm.

I sit here and read.

(Yes, not the most rock n' roll lifestyle, but hey I have kids under 5 so cut me some slack!)

I don't do this because I love it. I find it pleasant but truth be told I'm not much of an intellectual - I like slobbing out in front of the TV as much as anyone.

No, I do it as a hedge.

You see we are living through an unprecedented moment in history, where intelligence has started to gradually and measurably decline. For decades scientists observed something known as the Flynn Effect, where average IQ rose every passing generation (due to improved nutrition, education etc.)

But in the past 20 years, they've started seeing the opposite - the so called "Reverse Flynn Effect", where IQ in the West has peaked and started to decline.

Why?

Well there are many theories, but at a basic level anyone can see that:

- We're frying our attention spans with social media
- We're not allowing our brains to be bored for one second
- We're outsourcing our thinking to LLMs

...we're doing loads of things which will naturally lead to cognitive decline.

Meanwhile, one of the few activities that actually sharpens our brain is in freefall - reading. In 2023 it was reported that only 16% of American adults now read for interest / pleasure.

(And of course for the rising generations it's even worse)

Is this bad? Sure. It's pretty terrible actually. But on the plus side it also means this:

- The value of those still capable of thinking is going to increase

Remember, rule number 1 of strategy: that which is rare and difficult is also that which is valuable.

If you want to future-proof yourself against whatever's coming next, *don't get stupid*.

As I read each evening:

- My brain starts to work
- New connections get made
- I come up with loads of ideas
- I resolve issues I've been carrying

...and, lest we forget, it is still a leisure activity.

OK it's not quite as seductive as scrolling, but come on, it's not exactly the biggest hardship now is it?

To be capable of leading, you must first be capable of thinking for yourself. Because if you can think for yourself, you can think for others too.

And make no mistake, there will be no shortage of people in the future *begging* you to do that.
___

I'm going to expand on this idea in next week's newsletter. To subscribe free, and learn the art of strategic leadership week-by-week, go here:

https://lnkd.in/eJSPsGUf

If you sat in on my client sessions, you might be surprised at what you saw.

Basically 90% of it?

It's just me sitting there asking dumb questions.

But what's weird is that it isn't just me who does this. Many of the greatest entrepreneurs and leaders do exactly the same thing too.

Here's why.
___

To cultivate these skills weekly, subscribe for my free in-depth essays here: https://lnkd.in/eJSPsGUf

Be the dumbest person in the room

A "leader" is not just "a senior person in a business".

It's also not someone who's in charge of people.
Or someone with a team.

--- It's actually something very specific - and rare.

Are you one? The slides reveal all...

Hope you enjoy.

(and if you want to actually lead, start here: https://lnkd.in/eJSPsGUf )

Are you a leader or a manager?

A little while ago, a woman was asking me for advice regarding her small chain of baby care stores.

(Is that what you call them? Baby care? Baby equipment? Anyway you know, prams, bottles, and stuff)

So I asked her the first obvious question:

"Well, what makes you different?"

She thought for a while, and ultimately landed on the ultimate get-out-clause of differentiation:

"It would have to be our customer service!"

OK, cool, maybe that's true. So I probed a bit deeper, and asked:

"What exactly do you do to have such good customer service?"

At this there was silence. It took her a while to even process the idea that in order to have "exceptional" customer service, you must first DO something execeptional to create it. Otherwise, it's physically impossible, isn't it?

(Note that almost every business I speak to misses this point - she was in great company)

I gave an example:

"Well, for instance do you only shop staff who have been parents already? If you did, then for sure they would be able to provide deeper and more empathetic service than other stores, right?"

But no, she didn't do this. Her hiring practices were normal.

Eventually we established that there wasn't anything in particular that made it special - it just sort of "was" because she believed it to be true.

And this is true of almost EVERY claim EVERY business makes.

And this is why they find sales so difficult.

Because claims don't sell.
Facts sell.

Facts that make the claim self-evident.

Imagine if she did only hire people who'd already had kids. Wouldn't that be a cool story? Wouldn't that provide substance to her claims? Wouldn't that make you want to go to her store to buy your car seat or whatever?

For sure it would.

So your job is simple: create some facts.

Do some undeniable things, just like this, that make your claims superfluous. Creative, thoughtful, surprising things your competitors wouldn't do.

And then watch how much easier it becomes.

(P.S. this taks becomes a lot easier with this: www.basicarts.org/toolkit )

Facts not claims

Strange isn't it:

- Every company claims they're different.
- But we all know that very few truly are.

How is this possible?

Is it delusion?
Is it lies?

No, actually it's more complicated than that. It's a phenomenon we might call "fake differentiation".

And it's probably infecting your company right now.

Read on to spot it instantly.
__

This post is 100% AI-free.

And so is my weekly newsletter on bold strategic thinking, The Hidden Path.

Subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/eJSPsGUf

Fake differentiation is everywhere

I was going to call this post "The Coward's Version of Strategy".

But I thought it was a little harsh.

Still, there is truth in that, since most so-called strategy is what happens when you try to win, but without taking any risk.

Is this what you're doing?

Read the slides and have a think.
__

...and if you want to make sure you're never guilty of this again, learn how for free, by subscribing here: https://lnkd.in/eJSPsGUf

Please stop calling this "strategy"

Most strategy is bullshit.

Quite literally.

Bullshit means “a bunch of fancy words which actually mean nothing at all”, and that sure does describe most strategy you come across.

Fortunately there’s a remedy: the three exercises in these slides.

Check them out, and see how your business stacks up.

__

P.S. These are the kinds of strategy hacks I’m releasing every week in my newsletter, The Hidden Path.

Join 28,000 other creative leaders right here: https://lnkd.in/eJSPsGUf

How you can tell if a strategy is actually bullshit

In my 15 years doing strategy, I have learned 1 thing:

People *hate* to change.

They hate to be proved wrong.
They hate changing how they do things.
They hate stepping into the unknown.

...and because of this, they kinda hate doing strategy  (though they pretend otherwise).

For a long time, I've sympathised with them.

If you can get away with inertia, then why not?

But I'm not sure this will work for much longer.

Read this to confront yourself - and learn how to love change.

__

This first appeared as a more in depth article in my newsletter.

Subscribe free here: https://lnkd.in/eJSPsGUf

2026 is the year our comfort ends

I almost never publish my essays on Linkedin.

But I really want people to carve this message deep onto their desks.

So today, I made an exception.
___

If you enjoy, make sure you subscribe to the real thing right here https://lnkd.in/eJSPsGUf

Many people in the business world are about to learn a hard lesson. As a strategy man it pains me to say it, because the lesson is so insanely basic i

Open article: Do what is hard, do what is rare by Alex M H Smith • 5 min read

I heard Roger Martin say that he'd never seen any course or program that was dedicated to creating novel hypotheses.

A great point - and a pretty big problem given that this is how all REAL strategy starts.

So I decided to churn out 5 easy methods for doing just that.

Not saying the ideas will be "right".

But they will be "novel".

And that, ultimately, is what really counts.

___

There's plenty more where this came from via my newsletter that teaches entrepreneurial strategic thinking.

Subscribe for free, here: https://lnkd.in/eJSPsGUf

True strategy is the art of proving yourself wrong.

Everything you are doing today - everything that's getting you mediocre results - is aligned with what you currently believe to be true.

If you believed something else, you'd be doing something else. But as it is, you are doing exactly what aligns with how you see the world.

And it's not working.

So the only escape, is to prove yourself wrong.

Every great strategic shift, every great idea starts this way. There are no exceptions. You must start with attacking your own beliefs.

When you say "hey, what if things don't really work this way, but actually work that way?", you are on the cusp of something incredible.

And yet for most people, this is the LAST thing they want to do. They will defend their current opinions until the end, because they think they *are* their opinions. They identify with them.

If their opinions die, so do they.

This is why almost nobody does real strategy. They just do self-validation exercises instead, and call them "strategic".

Don't be one of these people.

Change your mind.
See something different.
Have ideas which are new.
___

every week in my newsletter I provoke you to do exactly this. Subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/eJSPsGUf

Wesley McQuillen

ALTER Strategies

• 🏆 2023 PRSA Bronze Spike - Strategies and Tactics - Owned Social Media
• 🏆 2023 Bronze ADDY - Social Media - Campaign
• 2023 AAF - AI Unleashed: A Hands-On Workshop - Presenter and Promptathon Judge
• 🏆 2022 NCET Tech Advocate of the Year Creative Services
• 2022 NFT NYC - VIP Speaker - How To Handle an Influx of Media
• 🏆 2022 Gold ADDY - Online/Interactive/Virtual Reality
• 🏆 2022 Silver ADDY - Social Media
• 2022 & 2023 American Advertising Awards - Fresno Competition Judge
• 2021 American Marketing Association - How to Not Suck on Social Media: Beyond Best Practices
• 2021 NFT NYC - VIP Speaker - NFT Use Cases in Consumer Cannabis Industry
• 2021 American Marketing Association - Marketing Workshop - Sales Funnel Optimization
• 🏆 2021 Silver ADDY - District 14 - Online/Interactive/Virtual Reality
• 🏆 2021 Silver ADDY - Online/Interactive/Virtual Reality
• 🏆 2021 Bronze ADDY - Print Advertising/Direct Mail
• 🏆 2020 NNBW Best In Business - New Nevada Innovators (Movers and Shakers)
• 2020 - American Advertising Federation - Don’t Panic: Moving Events and Offices to Virtual Reality - Interactive Scavenger Hunt to Learn About Accessible VR Platforms
• 2020 Rockies (American Advertising Awards in Boise) - Competition Judge
• 2019 - American Advertising Federation Western Region Conference - LGBT in Advertising Panelist
•2019-2021 - Published in Reno Gazette-Journal four times in NCET series on business formation, marketing, and NFTs
• 2019 - NCET BizCafe Speaker - Organic Social Growth Hacking (broke their attendance record)

Fractional CMO / senior marketing strategist for age-restricted, highly-regulated, and stigmatized industries that face unique advertising challenges due to government regulations, platform compliance restrictions, and negative public bias. Industries such as cannabis, CBD, alcohol, beer, liquor, spirits, tobacco, cigars, hookah, vape, adult services and products, firearms, crypto, NFTs, Web3, luxury brands.

Principal / CMO

Cavalier Genève Cigars

• 🏆 2023 PRSA Bronze Spike - Strategies and Tactics - Owned Social Media
• 🏆 2023 Bronze ADDY - Social Media - Cavalier Founders Ring Social Campaign
• 🏆 2022 Silver ADDY - Social Media - Cavalier x PCA Instagram Filter
• 🏆 2021 Silver ADDY - District 14 - Online/Interactive/Virtual Reality - Cavalier LE2020 VR Lounge
• 🏆 2021 Silver ADDY - Online/Interactive/Virtual Reality - Cavalier LE2020 VR Lounge

All marketing strategy & execution, brand strategy & management, public relations, and strategic communications for an international, vertically integrated, boutique luxury premium hand-rolled cigar brand with Honduran factory, production, distribution and international retail sales in US and EU. Upon hiring, I wrote a marketing plan that included brand identity, content guidelines, and strategic initiatives to grow community and socials, increase retention, and prototype new product loyalty programs.

Marketing Director

Undisclosed Fortune 500 Company

Currently in an advisory/consulting role for an undisclosed Fortune 500 company building out a Web2 to Web3 transition plan - under NDA

Web3 Strategy Consultant

0xTHULU

0xTHULU is a decentralized Web3 Content Production House & Art Collective that I devised organic growth hacking strategy for their primary mint. In the months leading up to the primary mint, I helped them:
• 3x monthly impressions
• 10x monthly profile visits
• 5x monthly new followers

This resulted in 0xTHULU being the project with the highest number of transactions on Ethereum on the day of the primary mint. Please see the attached case study.

Fractional CMO / Web3 Marketing Strategist

Sierra Well

• Helped increase gross sales by 35% in 14 months
• Rolling 150+% organic social growth month-to-month
• 99&1 SMS marketing strategy improved retention/increased monthly average spend by offer-redeemers by 3x creating $8m+ in new sales
• Audited coupon usage rates to change policies that increased net profits by 3%
• Produced competitive analyses, presentations, whitepapers, and investment books that helped CEO raise capital, get offer letters for strategic mergers/acquisitions
• Earned media value of ~ $120,000

All marketing, public relations, and strategic communications for a multi-location vertically integrated wellness company. When I first joined the team, I wrote a marketing plan that included new direction on brand voice, content guidelines, and strategic initiatives to increase market share, retention, and establish an organic digital presence.

Director of Marketing

C O L O R F U L

• 🏆 2019 Silver ADDY Award Winner
• Leveraged ad buys into 300% to 1047% ROI for all clients
• Ghost-produced branding and content for astroturfing by national brands (NDA)

Creative Director

Thomas Nelson Community College

• Produced 800%+ more original, branded video content across social media channels than predecessor
• Proposed cross-channel content strategy to meet institution viewership goals
• Continually evaluated performance through analytics, A/B version testing and retooled content as needed to meet division objectives
• Identified silo-ing of campus digital signage from our cross-channel communications and created proposed unified messaging solution to synchronize content, including a kinetic mock-up and live CMS

Web & Social Media Content Strategist

Hippodrome Theater and Mansion five26

Marketing and social media management, copywriting, web design, digital project management, photography, event planning, managing 44,000 sq ft concert venue with 4 bars and 60 top restaurant, proposal and contract writing, rebranding the restaurant

Marketing and Operations Manager

Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia, Inc.

Expanding capacity for the nonprofit through the creation of a video production department:
Developing SOPs, creating video editing templates, conducting client interviews in the field and editing them for use in communications, training staff on how to use all resources to continue producing videos 
[This role was a one year Americorps VISTA national service contract]

Strategic Communications

Wheat Systems Integration

• $30m+ in sales (B2B and B2G)
• Inclusion in Inc5000
• Developed brand and built marketing department from zero until acquisition
• Accepted into the Richmond Supply Schedule as a primary vendor
• Initiated and managed partnerships with Microsoft, HP, Cisco, Dell, NEC

I'm an award-winning senior marketing strategist with 19 years of experience, managing budgets up to $500,000 per year and teams up to 15 direct reports. I have helped clients and employers to exceed $84 million in sales.

I specialize in organic growth hacking and excel in highly-regulated, stigmatized industries that face unique advertising challenges due to legal compliance, platform compliance restrictions, and negative public bias.

I've worked with Microsoft, HP, Cisco, Dell, and NEC.

⚖️ 2025 American Advertising Awards - Idaho Falls - Judge
🏆 2024 American Marketing Association Ace Awards - Marketer of the Year
🎤 2024 American Advertising Federation Western Region Conference - Panelist on AI in Advertising
🎤 2023 NCET 8th Annual State of Digital Marketing - Panelist on AI in Marketing
🏆 2023 PRSA Bronze Spike - Strategies and Tactics - Owned Social Media
🏆 2023 Bronze ADDY - Social Media - Campaign
⚖️ 2023 AAF - AI Unleashed: A Hands-On Workshop - Presenter and Promptathon Judge
🏆 2022 NCET Tech Advocate of the Year Creative Services
🎤 2022 NFT NYC - VIP Speaker - How To Handle an Influx of Media
🏆 2022 Gold ADDY - Online/Interactive/Virtual Reality
🏆 2022 Silver ADDY - Social Media
⚖️ 2022 & 2023 American Advertising Awards - Fresno - Judge
🎤 2021 American Marketing Association - How to Not Suck on Social Media: Beyond Best Practices
🎤 2021 NFT NYC - VIP Speaker - NFT Use Cases in Consumer Cannabis Industry
🎤 2021 American Marketing Association - Marketing Workshop - Sales Funnel Optimization
🏆 2021 Silver ADDY - District 14 - Online/Interactive/Virtual Reality
🏆 2021 Silver ADDY - Online/Interactive/Virtual Reality
🏆 2021 Bronze ADDY - Print Advertising/Direct Mail
🏆 2020 NNBW Best In Business - New Nevada Innovators (Movers and Shakers)
🎤 2020 - American Advertising Federation - Don’t Panic: Moving Events and Offices to Virtual Reality - 
Interactive Scavenger Hunt to Learn About Accessible VR Platforms
⚖️ 2020 Rockies (American Advertising Awards in Boise) - Judge
🎤 2019 - American Advertising Federation Western Region Conference - LGBT in Advertising Panelist
✏️ 2019-2021 - Published in Reno Gazette-Journal four times on business formation, marketing, and NFTs
🎤 2019 - NCET BizCafe Speaker - Organic Social Growth Hacking (broke attendance record with organic social growth hacking 😎)

Featured on:
Yahoo Finance
Benzinga
Yahoo Money
Markets Insider
Business Insider
Future of VR
VR AR News
Crypto Insider
NFT Radius
Reno Gazette Journal
Richmond Times Dispatch
Northern Nevada Business Weekly
RVAmag
Style Weekly

• 🏆 2023 PRSA Bronze Spike - Strategies and Tactics - Owned Social Media
• 🏆 2023 Bronze ADDY - Social Media - Campaign
• 2023 AAF - AI Unleashed: A Hands-On Workshop - Presenter and Promptathon Judge
• 🏆 2022 NCET Tech Advocate of the Year Creative Services
• 2022 NFT NYC - VIP Speaker - How To Handle an Influx of Media
• 🏆 2022 Gold ADDY - Online/Interactive/Virtual Reality
• 🏆 2022 Silver ADDY - Social Media
• 2022 & 2023 American Advertising Awards - Fresno Competition Judge
• 2021 American Marketing Association - How to Not Suck on Social Media: Beyond Best Practices
• 2021 NFT NYC - VIP Speaker - NFT Use Cases in Consumer Cannabis Industry
• 2021 American Marketing Association - Marketing Workshop - Sales Funnel Optimization
• 🏆 2021 Silver ADDY - District 14 - Online/Interactive/Virtual Reality
• 🏆 2021 Silver ADDY - Online/Interactive/Virtual Reality
• 🏆 2021 Bronze ADDY - Print Advertising/Direct Mail
• 🏆 2020 NNBW Best In Business - New Nevada Innovators (Movers and Shakers)
• 2020 - American Advertising Federation - Don’t Panic: Moving Events and Offices to Virtual Reality - Interactive Scavenger Hunt to Learn About Accessible VR Platforms
• 2020 Rockies (American Advertising Awards in Boise) - Competition Judge
• 2019 - American Advertising Federation Western Region Conference - LGBT in Advertising Panelist
•2019-2021 - Published in Reno Gazette-Journal four times in NCET series on business formation, marketing, and NFTs
• 2019 - NCET BizCafe Speaker - Organic Social Growth Hacking (broke their attendance record)

Fractional CMO / senior marketing strategist for age-restricted, highly-regulated, and stigmatized industries that face unique advertising challenges due to government regulations, platform compliance restrictions, and negative public bias. Industries such as cannabis, CBD, alcohol, beer, liquor, spirits, tobacco, cigars, hookah, vape, adult services and products, firearms, crypto, NFTs, Web3.

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Wesley McQuillen

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