The Business Tools Store Blog

Blue Ocean Strategy is a powerful strategic marketing approach that encourages businesses to move away from highly competitive, saturated markets—what are called red oceans—and instead focus on creating and capturing new demand in largely uncontested markets. The goal? Make the competition irrelevant. This stands in sharp contrast to a red ocean strategy, where businesses fight to outperform rivals in crowded markets. These environments are often characterized by cut-throat competiti …

If growth is on your agenda, the Ansoff Matrix is a proven tool to explore your options. Developed by Igor Ansoff, this 2x2 framework helps you decide how to expand — by changing your products, your markets, or both.The Four Growth Strategies:1. Market Penetration – Sell more of your existing products to current customers2. Market Development – Find new customers or enter new markets3. Product Development – Introduce new products to existing customers4. Diversification &n …

When it comes to strategic planning, SWOT analysis is a familiar tool — but the powerfull lesser-known counterpart, TOWS, is not as widely used. While both frameworks use the same core elements (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats), their application is quite different. SWOT is primarily descriptive — it helps you understand your current situation by listing internal and external factors. TOWS, on the other hand, is action-oriented — it takes SWOT inputs and allo …

Intro: When you're defining the right strategic direction for your business, two proven tools can help: the Grand Strategy Matrix and the SPACE Matrix. Both provide guidance—but with different approaches. In this post, we compare the two to help you decide which best suits your needs. The Grand Strategy Matrix: Four Strategic Zones This matrix maps businesses across four quadrants based on competitive position (strong/weak) and market growth (fast/slow). Each quadrant offers a different st …

Intro: Strategic planning often involves tough decisions about where to invest time, money, and talent. Two well-established frameworks—the BCG Growth-Share Matrix and the GE McKinsey Matrix—help businesses make these decisions with confidence. In this post, we'll explore how each works, how they differ, and how you can use them together to prioritize your strategic investments as part of a comprehensive strategic planning toolkit. The BCG Matrix: Simplicity with Impact The Boston Co …