Bringing Strategy Into Day-to-Day Work in a Tech Company

Most tech companies claim to be strategy-driven. But in reality, strategy often lives in slide decks, quarterly offsites, or executive conversations — while day-to-day work is shaped by sprint boards, incident queues, customer requests, and deadlines. The real challenge is not defining strategy. It’s operationalizing it so that teams experience strategy as a practical guide for daily decisions.

This post explores how to weave strategy into everyday work so that it influences what people build, how they prioritize, and how they collaborate.

At its core, strategy answers three questions:

  1. Where will we play?

  2. How will we win?

  3. What capabilities and systems do we need to get there?

If strategy isn’t visible in daily choices — feature prioritization, hiring, architecture, pricing, partnerships — then it is not really strategy. It is a wish.

Embedding strategy into daily work means ensuring that:

  • engineers know why they are building something

  • product managers can say no with confidence

  • sales understands who is and isn’t the right customer

  • leadership reinforces choices that align with long-term direction

When strategy is alive, it becomes a shared lens for decision-making

Here are five practical ways to bring strategy into daily work:

1. Translate strategy into simple, memorable themes

People don’t think in 60-page strategy reports. They think in short, repeatable phrases.

For example:

  • “Win mid-market before enterprise.”

  • “Own the developer experience.”

  • “Land with API-first, expand with workflow.”

If your team cannot summarize the strategy in one or two sentences, it will never guide day-to-day actions. Start with clarity, not complexity.

2. Align roadmaps and backlogs to strategic outcomes

Sprints are where strategy lives or dies.

Instead of listing features by type, tie them to strategic outcomes:

  • improve activation in key segment

  • reduce time-to-value

  • protect core reliability

  • expand into adjacent workflow

A simple method: add a “strategic rationale” line to every major work item. If a story or project has no clear link to strategy, it’s either the wrong work — or the strategy is unclear.

3. Use metrics that reflect strategy, not just activity

Teams often track what is easy to measure: velocity, deployment frequency, ticket count. Those are useful, but they don't tell you whether you're moving in the right direction.

Tie dashboards to strategic metrics, such as:

  • market share in target segment

  • net revenue retention

  • adoption of strategic features

  • platform ecosystem activity

  • cost-to-serve for key customers

This helps teams see the connection between their everyday work and company-level progress.

4. Make “strategic fit” a standard question in decision discussions

Every significant decision — architecture, pricing change, feature investment, partnership — should be tested against strategy with a simple question:

👉 Does this strengthen or dilute our strategic position?

If the answer is unclear, pause.

Over time, this builds a culture where strategy is not a distant document but a habit of inquiry.

5. Tell stories, not just plans

Humans adopt strategy emotionally as much as logically.

Leaders should:

  • share customer stories that illustrate strategic focus

  • highlight teams that embodied the strategy in tough tradeoffs

  • celebrate saying no when something wasn’t aligned

People understand strategy best when they can see themselves in it.

The Granularities of Growth: Why Winners Zoom In Before They Scale Up

In business, “growth” is often discussed as if it were a single, linear outcome — a bigger number on a chart, a larger customer base, a higher valuation. But sustainable growth rarely comes from broad strokes. It comes from granularity: the discipline of dissecting your business into its smallest meaningful components to understand where growth is truly happening, why, and how to accelerate it. High-performing companies don’t just chase growth. They examine it under a microscope.

Granularity can be relevant to both markets and products:

Market Granularity: Not All Opportunities Are Created Equal

Markets that look identical through a macro lens behave very differently up close. Growth-driven leaders break markets down by:

  • Micro-segments (e.g., niche customer personas with specific use cases)

  • Geographic pockets (cities/regions with faster adoption or lower CAC)

  • Buying contexts (where urgency, budget, or pain points differ)

When you zoom in, you often find that:

  • 10–20% of segments drive the majority of profitable expansion

  • Growth stall points are segment-specific, not company-wide

  • Hidden niches grow faster than the “core market”

Granularity prevents the classic trap of “average thinking,” which masks where real upside lives.

Product Granularity: The Feature-Level Growth Engine

Companies that scale efficiently understand which specific features or value moments generate engagement, retention, and willingness to pay.

You can ask:

  • Which features correlate with long-term retention?

  • Which ones attract the highest-value customers?

  • Which ones are costly to maintain but add little value?

Often, a small set of “hero features” drive disproportionate business impact. Identifying them early allows teams to:

  • Increase focus and investment on what actually moves the needle

  • De-prioritize or sunset features that dilute product clarity

  • Align engineering and GTM around the true value engine

Growth accelerates when product investment becomes selective rather than democratic.

Growth isn’t one big number. It’s the sum of hundreds of small ones.
Manage those, and the top line takes care of itself.

The Valley of Death: Where Startups Go to Grow Up (or Die Trying)

venture capital, the so-called Valley of Death is less a place than a rite of passage. It’s that treacherous stretch between initial seed funding and genuine product-market fit — when optimism outruns cash flow, and the gap between vision and viability yawns wide.

It’s a quiet, existential phase. Founders stop speaking in terms of “what could be” and start negotiating with “what is.” Early believers want proof. Customers want reliability. The burn rate becomes a ticking metronome, counting down to either traction or termination.

From the investor’s side, the Valley of Death reveals character — of both company and founder. The best founders learn to translate ambition into operational precision. They prune, pivot, and prioritize. They discover the difference between being busy and being effective. The worst? They drown in their own narrative, sustained by pitch decks and false positives.

The irony is that the Valley of Death is often where the real company is built. It’s where founders learn that money doesn’t create resilience — discipline does. The product sharpens. The culture hardens. And the investors who stay through this phase aren’t merely funding; they’re curating future survivors.

There’s no glamour here. Just spreadsheets, long nights, and small, unsexy victories that compound. The startups that emerge from the other side often bear scars — but also clarity. They know precisely who they are, and what problem they were actually meant to solve.

Every great startup story has its Valley. The trick isn’t to avoid it. It’s to enter with eyes open, partners aligned, and just enough fuel to make it to the next ridge.

Tech CFO

There was a time when the CFO’s job was simple. You closed the books, managed liquidity, and made sure the auditors left with a smile. Those days are gone. Today, being the Chief Financial Officer of a tech company means living at the intersection of finance, innovation, and human behavior. It’s no longer enough to be a guardian of capital — you have to be a translator of ideas, a skeptic of hype, and a believer in progress.

Being a tech CFO isn’t about controlling chaos — it’s about understanding it. You learn to read the rhythm of uncertainty and find coherence where others see volatility. You know that markets don’t reward the clever, but the clear. And that true leadership isn’t measured in margin points, but in the trust you earn by making sense of complexity.

Numbers tell you what happened. People tell you what’s possible. The CFO’s art lies in bringing both into harmony.

Consulting career - a great business school

When most people think about a business education, they imagine textbooks, lectures, and case studies. While these are valuable, nothing compares to the real-world, fast-paced learning environment of management consulting. Having spent more than 10 years in consulting my viewpoint is that a career in consulting is more than just a job—it’s a hands-on business school that accelerates your growth in ways a classroom never can. Here’s why.

1. Exposure to Diverse Industries
Consultants rarely spend their entire career in a single industry. One week, you might be helping a tech startup optimize its growth strategy; the next, you’re advising a Fortune 500 manufacturing company on operational efficiency. This breadth of exposure allows you to develop a versatile skill set, understand different business models, and quickly identify what works—and what doesn’t—across sectors.

2. Accelerated Learning Curve
Unlike typical corporate roles, consulting immerses you in complex problems from day one. You’re expected to analyze data, synthesize insights, and make actionable recommendations within tight deadlines. The intensity sharpens critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills at a speed that few traditional jobs can match. In other words, consulting compresses years of learning into months.

3. Mastering the Art of Communication
In consulting, your ideas are only as good as your ability to communicate them. You learn to craft persuasive presentations, tell compelling stories with data, and influence stakeholders at every level of an organization. This combination of analytical rigor and communication finesse is a hallmark of top business leaders.

4. Building a Powerful Network
Consultants work with executives, entrepreneurs, and colleagues from diverse backgrounds, creating a network that spans industries and geographies. These connections can open doors to leadership roles, entrepreneurial ventures, or executive positions that would be harder to access through other career paths.

5. Strategic Thinking and Problem-Solving
At its core, consulting is about solving business problems. Every project challenges you to think strategically, evaluate trade-offs, and design solutions that drive measurable impact. Over time, you develop an intuition for business strategy and operations that rivals any MBA program.

6. Pathway to Leadership Roles
Many former consultants go on to become CEOs, CFOs, or senior executives. The skills, discipline, and strategic mindset cultivated in consulting make you a natural fit for leadership roles where complex decision-making and stakeholder management are critical.

Conclusion
A career in consulting is not just a job—it’s an immersive, hands-on business school. It provides unmatched exposure to diverse industries, accelerates your learning curve, hones communication and strategic skills, and builds a network that lasts a lifetime. For those serious about understanding business at the deepest level and preparing for leadership, consulting is the ultimate training ground.

Curiosity: The underrated business skill

When we think about qualities that drive business success, we often list strategy, discipline, or vision. Yet there’s a quieter trait that can be just as powerful: curiosity. The simple habit of asking questions, exploring ideas, and seeking to understand can unlock opportunities others overlook.

Curiosity fuels innovation. It pushes us to look beyond what’s working today and imagine what might work better tomorrow. It helps leaders connect dots across industries, uncover customer needs, and inspire teams. Perhaps most importantly, curiosity keeps us adaptable—an essential skill in a world where industries are disrupted overnight.

Some of the most groundbreaking business moves began with a curious question. For example, Steve Jobs once wondered why computers couldn’t be both powerful and beautiful. That curiosity led to design choices that made Apple products stand out in a crowded market. But the lesson isn’t about Apple—it’s about how a leader’s willingness to explore unconventional questions can shift an entire industry.

If you want to harness curiosity as a superpower, you can start by:

  • Making space in your calendar for exploration, not just execution.

  • Asking “why?” and “what if?” more often.

  • Exposing yourself to new industries, ideas, and disciplines—even if they don’t seem immediately relevant.

In an era where data and automation are everywhere, curiosity is one of the few traits that remains uniquely human. Leaders who cultivate it don’t just keep up with change—they create it.

The new-collar worker

For decades, the path to a thriving career and a robust workforce seemed clear: a four-year college degree was the golden ticket. But today, in the hyper-accelerated landscape of Silicon Valley and beyond, that traditional model is no longer the sole, nor always the most effective, route.

Enter the new-collar worker.

This isn't just a trendy label; it's a recognition of a powerful shift in talent acquisition. New-collar professionals are the cybersecurity analysts who mastered their craft through intensive bootcamps, the cloud specialists certified through vendor-specific programs, the data technicians honed by apprenticeships. They possess the critical, in-demand technical and cognitive skills that drive innovation, yet their educational journey often bypasses the conventional university system.

What defines them isn't a piece of paper, but demonstrable capability. They've learned by doing, by diving deep into specific technologies, and by solving real-world problems. This focus on practical, actionable skills means they often hit the ground running, bringing immediate value and a hunger for continuous learning that's essential in our ever-evolving digital economy.

Solving business problems like detectives in crime novels

When I studied for my Master’s degree in Copenhagen, I took an elective course a bit on the side of the other finance courses. The name of the course was “Artful making” end the topic was to solve business problems like an artist.

We often imagine business strategy and murder mysteries living in different worlds—one rooted in balance sheets and boardrooms, the other in shadowy alleys and dimly lit libraries. But the truth is: solving a complex business problem and solving a murder mystery follow surprisingly similar paths.

At the heart of both is the challenge of making sense of confusion, separating truth from illusion, and reaching a clear conclusion before it’s too late.

A detective’s work begins at the crime scene: a lifeless body, fragments of evidence, and a room full of possible stories. The setting is chaotic, and every object could be meaningful—or meaningless.

In business, the “crime scene” might be an unexpected decline in sales, a product launch that fell flat, or a sudden disruption in the supply chain. At first glance, it feels overwhelming. What happened? Who’s responsible? Where do we even start?

Like a detective, a leader must resist the urge to jump to conclusions. The crime scene—whether literal or financial—demands careful observation before rushing to judgment.

Corporate investigations

I have previously worked as a corporate investigator. This is perhaps the most methodology dense area I have worked in.

Every company has its bright, polished face—the press releases, the investor calls, the branding campaigns. But beneath that surface, in the corridors few ever see, questions sometimes arise. Funds don’t add up. Emails disappear. Whispers spread. That’s when the investigation begins.

And in this world, there is no room for guesswork. Corporate investigations follow a rhythm, a methodology honed to cut through shadows and secrets.

The Opening Moves

An investigation begins quietly. Before anyone is questioned or any files are pulled, there’s the scoping conversation behind closed doors. What exactly is suspected? Fraud? Harassment? A breach of compliance? The investigators define the borders of the case, drawing the map of where they can—and cannot—go. One misstep here, and the whole operation risks collapsing before it starts.

Following the Paper Trail

Once the scope is clear, the hunt for evidence begins. It’s rarely glamorous at first—contracts, HR files, transaction ledgers. Then comes the digital layer: hard drives, servers, chat logs. The world leaves more fingerprints than it realizes. Even deleted files have a way of speaking when handled by the right forensic hands. And sometimes the open world itself—news archives, corporate registries, even social media—offers clues hiding in plain sight.

The first rule: secure it fast. Once whispers of an investigation spread, evidence has a way of vanishing.

Faces and Voices

But documents only tell half the story. At some point, the work turns to people. Interviews are the beating heart of an investigation, and they require subtlety. Too much pressure, and a witness shuts down. Too little, and the truth remains hidden. Every pause, every deflection, every contradiction becomes a piece of the puzzle.

The investigator isn’t just listening to words—they’re reading the room, the silences, the stories that don’t quite fit.

The Puzzle Comes Together

The true art lies in correlation. Money flows are traced across borders. Deleted emails are recovered and cross-checked against meeting calendars. Seemingly small inconsistencies in testimony begin to align with ledger entries. It’s like assembling a mosaic from fragments, each piece meaningless on its own but damning in the right place.

This is the point when patterns emerge, when suspicions harden into evidence.

The Test of Defensibility

But truth alone is not enough. An investigation is only as strong as its ability to withstand scrutiny—from regulators, from courts, from those determined to tear it apart. Every document must be handled properly, every interview documented, every step justified. The law isn’t just a backdrop; it’s the guardrail keeping the case alive.

The Final Report

In the end, everything funnels into a report. Not a thriller novel, not a courtroom drama—just facts. A clear, concise account of what happened, how it happened, and what should be done about it. It is both the climax and the weapon: the moment when the shadows are put into the light.

Aftermath

And then comes the part no one likes to talk about—the aftermath. Policies are rewritten. Controls are tightened. People are disciplined, sometimes careers end. If the work was done right, the company emerges stronger, scarred but wiser. If not, the same cracks remain, waiting for another story to unfold.

Why Methodology Matters

In the end, a corporate investigation isn’t a hunt for drama—it’s a fight for clarity. The methodology ensures that clarity can’t be questioned, that the facts can survive both the courtroom and the court of public opinion. Without it, even the truth can be lost.

Energy technology adoption

I am currently reading How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates. The book outlines a practical and science-driven roadmap to reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Drawing on years of research, conversations with experts, and investments in clean technologies, Gates explains the scale of the climate challenge, the science behind global warming, and why cutting emissions to zero—not just reducing them—is essential.

On interesting graph that is presented in the book is an overview of how different carbon energy sources historically has been adopted as major energy sources. The graph implies that this typically happends over a 60 years time span. As we (the world) are on the verge of both a climate disaster and a renewables revolution, we can`t spend 60 years on this process.

How can this time span be significantly reduced? Well the medicine if large technological innovations, policy changes, and global cooperation onb a much larger scale than previous energy adoption cycles.

Pricing strategies for software companies

Software companies price their products in many different ways, but most are based on some form of a subscription model (Software as a Service / SaaS).. The goal is often to find a price that reflects the value the customer receives while being simple and scalable for the company.

Here are the most common pricing models SaaS companies use:

1. Per-User Pricing Model

This is one of the most common and straightforward models. The price is determined by how many users (or "seats") have access to the software.

  • Advantage: This model is easy for customers to understand and provides predictable revenue for the company. Revenue naturally increases as the customer's team grows and more users are added.

  • Disadvantage: It can incentivize customers to share accounts to save money, which may limit growth

2. Usage-Based Pricing Model (Pay-as-you-go)

In this model, the customer pays based on how much they actually use the software. This could be based on data storage, the number of API calls, emails sent, or other specific metrics.

  • Advantage: The model is fair for customers with varying needs, as they only pay for what they use. It works well for products where value is directly tied to consumption.

  • Disadvantage: It can be difficult for customers to predict their monthly costs, making budgeting challenging.

3. Tier-Based Pricing Model ("Good, Better, Best")

This is a very popular model where the company offers different pricing tiers (e.g., Basic, Pro, Enterprise). Each tier includes a different set of features, usage limits, or user counts, with a progressively higher price.

  • Advantage: It appeals to various customer segments, from small businesses to large enterprises. Customers can choose a package that fits their needs and budget, and there's a clear path for upgrading as they grow.

  • Disadvantage: Choosing the right features for each tier can be complex, and incorrect feature placement might lead to customers choosing the wrong plan or switching to a competitor.

Making the most of your product roadmap

A product roadmap is a high-level strategic plan that outlines the vision, direction, priorities, and progress of a product, or a portfolio of products, over time. It’s essentially a blueprint that shows what you’re building, why you’re building it, and when you plan to deliver it.

Think of it as a storyboard for the product’s future, aligning internal teams (leadership, development, marketing, sales, etc.) and sometimes external stakeholders (investors, customers, partners).

Here are three tips for your product roadmap:

  1. Update your product roadmap on a quaterly basis. Helps you validate as is or take away things that aren`t working

  2. Don`t be afraid to change the roadmap. Adapt. Always.

  3. Communicate your product vision to the customers. Helps the customers plan better

Avoiding death by PowerPoint

We have all been there: Meetings with dull, over-detailed PowerPoints. Well, there are metods to avoid such presentations.

In the TEDx Talk "How to Avoid Death by PowerPoint" by David JP Phillips, he outlines five key design principles for creating effective PowerPoint presentations:

  1. One Message Per Slide
    – Each slide should communicate only one clear idea to avoid cognitive overload.

  2. Working Memory
    – Limit the amount of information on each slide to match the audience's working memory capacity. Avoid clutter to make comprehension easier.

  3. Size Matters
    – Emphasize the most important element by making it the largest. Visual hierarchy helps guide the viewer’s attention.

  4. Contrast
    – Use strong contrast between text and background to enhance readability. Poor contrast reduces clarity.

  5. Objects
    – Keep the number of visual objects (text boxes, images, shapes, etc.) on a slide to a minimum—ideally no more than six—to avoid distraction.

These principles are grounded in cognitive psychology and aim to make presentations more engaging, memorable, and digestible.

Restaurant tech

We all love going to a restaurant for a meal and a few glasses of wine. A modern restaturant is not only gastronomy, it is also a large, complicated operation, including bookings, seating, orders, people, raw materials, razoredge logistics and so on. Just like many other businesses, these operations are complex and require technology to succeed.

Restaurant tech refers to the tools, software, and hardware designed to improve the efficiency, customer experience, and overall operations of restaurants. This technology spans various aspects of the business, from front-of-house customer interactions to back-of-house kitchen operations. Here’s an overview of the main categories:

1. Front-of-House (FoH) Technology

  • Point of Sale (POS) Systems: Modern POS systems handle orders, payments, and inventory tracking. Cloud-based options like Toast, Square, and Clover integrate with other tools.

  • Self-Ordering Kiosks: Touchscreen kiosks allow customers to place orders directly, reducing wait times and errors.

  • Table Reservation Platforms: Tools like OpenTable and Resy simplify the reservation process for both customers and restaurants.

  • Mobile Ordering & Payment: Apps and QR code systems allow diners to browse menus, place orders, and pay from their smartphones.

  • Digital Menu Boards: Dynamic displays that can show menu items, specials, and promotions.

2. Back-of-House (BoH) Technology

  • Kitchen Display Systems (KDS): Screens replace paper tickets, helping kitchens streamline orders and reduce errors.

  • Inventory Management Tools: Software like BlueCart or MarketMan helps monitor stock levels, track waste, and manage supply orders.

  • Food Safety Technology: Tools for temperature monitoring, automated compliance tracking, and expiration alerts.

3. Delivery & Takeout

  • Third-Party Integration: Platforms like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub help manage online orders and deliveries.

  • Native Delivery Solutions: Some restaurants use in-house platforms for better control and to avoid high commission fees.

  • Delivery Route Optimization: Software to streamline delivery logistics for speed and cost-efficiency.

Many of us have watched the TV-series “The Bear” wondering why it is so chaotic in a restaurant. Well a well run, digitalized operation does not create good TV drama.

Negativity bias

Negativity bias is a psychological phenomenon where humans tend to give more attention, weight, or significance to negative experiences, emotions, or information compared to positive or neutral ones. This bias is thought to have evolutionary roots, as being more sensitive to potential threats or negative stimuli could have enhanced survival. Here are some examples:

  1. News Consumption: People are more likely to focus on negative news stories, such as disasters or conflicts, rather than positive ones.

  2. Feedback: In a performance review, a person might fixate on one piece of critical feedback and overlook numerous positive comments.

  3. Social Interactions: A negative interaction with someone can overshadow many positive interactions with the same person.

  4. Memory: Negative experiences often leave a stronger and more lasting impression than positive experience.

Negative bias might have the following negative implications:

  • Decision-Making: Negativity bias can lead to overly cautious or risk-averse behavior.

  • Relationships: It might cause people to overemphasize conflicts or challenges in their relationships.

  • Mental Health: Persistent focus on negative events or emotions can contribute to stress, anxiety, or depression.

Negativity bias can be mitigated throuh praticing mindfullness and reframing perspectives, i.e. challenge negative thoughts by looking for positive aspects in a situation

Complex deals

As a CFO you are almost constantly involved in some form of M&A activity. In M&A activity, some deals are straight forward, while other deals are more complex. Complex deals are transactions that involve intricate structures, multiple stakeholders, significant capital, or unconventional strategies. Characteristics of complex deals are (not exhaustive):

  • High financial value: Deals often involve billions of dollars and require significant risk management and financial structuring.

  • Multiple stakeholders: Requires negotiations with diverse parties such as companies, investors, governments, regulators, and lenders.

  • Cross-Border transactions: Includes navigating legal, cultural, and regulatory environments across different countries.

Complex deals are not just about large sums of money; they also require:

  • Strategic foresight to predict industry trends.

  • Negotiation skills to align stakeholders with divergent interests.

  • Risk management to navigate financial and operational uncertainties.

  • Legal and regulatory acumen, especially in international transactions.

Building confidence in decisions

One of the first thinks a had to learn in my first CFO job was to make decisions and build confidence in my choices. . Prior to this posistion a had mainly worked as a management consultant and financial analyst, doing quantitative and qualitative analysises providing other the nessessary material to do proper decisions.

There is thing that is paramount in having confidence in choices and that is overcoming doubt. Two factors are important in oercomung doubt, namely trusting the process and avoiding perfectionism:

Trust Your Process: A well-considered decision-making process reduces second-guessing. Lean on frameworks or tools to validate your choices.

Avoid Perfectionism: Recognize that no decision is without risk or downside. Focus on making the best possible choice with the available information.

Data driven companies

More ans more companies define themselves as data driven. A data-driven company is an organization that prioritizes the use of data in decision-making processes at all levels. This approach emphasizes collecting, analyzing, and acting on data to drive strategic, operational, and tactical decisions, ensuring that the company’s actions are grounded in factual insights rather than intuition or assumptions. AS a CFO in a tech company, data is paramount for doing my job.

Key Characteristics of a Data-Driven Company:

  1. Data as a Core Asset: Treats data as a valuable resource that influences every business function.

  2. Data Accessibility: Ensures that relevant data is available to employees who need it, often through centralized platforms or data visualization tools.

  3. Analytical Culture: Encourages employees to use data to validate ideas, solve problems, and measure performance.

  4. Technology-Driven: Leverages modern tools and technologies such as data warehouses, business intelligence (BI) tools, machine learning, and big data platforms.

  5. Continuous Improvement: Uses data to monitor outcomes, identify inefficiencies, and iterate on strategies and processes.

Examples of Data Usage in a Data-Driven Company:

  • Marketing: Using customer data to create targeted campaigns and measure ROI.

  • Finance: Leveraging financial data to predict revenue, control costs, and improve profitability.

  • Operations: Optimizing supply chain processes and inventory levels with predictive analytics.

  • Customer Experience: Personalizing interactions based on customer preferences and behavior.

Geopolitical risk

In an increasingly interconnected world, businesses operate across borders, tapping into global supply chains, diverse talent pools, and international markets. While globalization offers immense opportunities, it also exposes companies to a complex web of geopolitical risks. These risks—ranging from political instability to economic sanctions—can disrupt operations, impact profitability, and threaten long-term growth. Understanding and managing these risks is critical for business leaders striving to build resilience and ensure continuity.

Geopolitical risks arise from the interplay of political, economic, and social factors within and between nations. They include:

  1. Political Instability: Changes in government, coups, or civil unrest can destabilize a region and affect business operations.

  2. Economic Sanctions: Restrictions imposed by one country on another can limit market access, disrupt supply chains, and increase compliance costs.

  3. Trade Wars: Tariffs and other trade barriers can raise costs and reduce competitiveness in international markets.

  4. Regulatory Changes: Sudden shifts in laws and regulations can affect business models, particularly in sectors like finance, energy, and technology.

  5. Cybersecurity Threats: State-sponsored cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure or data can have far-reaching consequences.

  6. Global Conflicts: Wars or territorial disputes can disrupt entire regions, impacting supply chains, market access, and employee safety.

Geopolitical risks can manifest in various ways, including:

  • Supply Chain Disruptions: Political turmoil or sanctions can lead to shortages, delays, and increased costs.

  • Market Volatility: Changes in currency values, stock markets, and commodity prices often follow geopolitical events.

  • Operational Challenges: Travel restrictions, infrastructure damage, or workforce displacement can hinder operations.

  • Reputational Damage: Aligning with politically controversial partners or governments can affect public perception and brand value.

During the last months geopolitic turmoil the share prices for many companies has been hampered. McKinsey has conducted a study of which companies that has been affected mostly, and not unexpectedy these are companies reliant on international trade:

Application of drones

In the modern era, where technological advancements define the pace of innovation, drones—unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)—have emerged as versatile tools reshaping industries and unlocking new opportunities. Originally designed for military purposes, drones have transcended their origins to become indispensable assets in various fields. Businesses, startups, and enterprises are increasingly leveraging drone technology to gain a competitive edge, reduce costs, and improve efficiency.

The adoption of drones is driven by their unique ability to access challenging areas, collect data efficiently, and perform tasks with precision. The global drone market is projected to grow exponentially, with applications spanning agriculture, construction, logistics, and beyond. For forward-thinking businesses, understanding and capitalizing on drone applications can be a game-changer. Drones have a potential for the following business applications:

1. Agriculture

Drones are revolutionizing agriculture through precision farming. By capturing high-resolution aerial images, drones enable farmers to monitor crop health, detect irrigation issues, and optimize pesticide application. This data-driven approach enhances productivity and sustainability, ensuring higher yields and cost savings.

2. Construction and Real Estate

In construction, drones streamline site surveys and create detailed 3D models, saving time and reducing errors. Progress monitoring through aerial imagery ensures projects stay on track. For real estate professionals, drones offer stunning aerial views and virtual tours, attracting potential buyers and investors with immersive property presentations.

3. Environmental Conservation

Drones play a vital role in monitoring wildlife and tracking environmental changes. From observing endangered species to assessing the impact of deforestation, drones provide invaluable insights that drive conservation efforts. They are also employed in pollution tracking, helping authorities identify and address air and water quality issues.

4. Delivery and Logistics

Pioneered by companies like Amazon and DHL, drone-based delivery is revolutionizing logistics. From delivering e-commerce packages to transporting medical supplies in remote areas, drones offer a faster, more efficient alternative to traditional delivery methods. This is particularly impactful in disaster-stricken regions where rapid aid is crucial.

5. Emergency and Disaster Response

In emergencies, drones are invaluable. They assist in search-and-rescue operations by locating individuals in inaccessible areas. Thermal imaging-equipped drones detect fire hotspots, aiding firefighting efforts. Post-disaster, drones assess damage, providing critical information to streamline recovery efforts.

6. Photography and Videography

In the creative realm, drones have redefined photography and filmmaking. Capturing unique aerial shots for movies, advertisements, and events has never been easier. Their ability to cover large areas makes them ideal for documenting weddings, sports events, and festivals.

7. Security and Surveillance

Businesses and governments are utilizing drones for enhanced security. From monitoring large-scale events to inspecting industrial sites, drones provide real-time surveillance. Border patrol and law enforcement agencies leverage drones to improve public safety and security measures.

8. Mining and Energy

In the energy sector, drones inspect pipelines, wind turbines, and solar farms, reducing the need for manual inspections in hazardous conditions. Similarly, in mining, drones map mineral deposits and ensure worker safety by identifying potential risks.