Over the next few weeks I’m going to unpack that approach as a series of simple, hand-drawn frameworks. Nothing glossy.

The series is built around one core phase:

Clarifying the foundation
Positioning, architecture, and the strategic spine of the brand.

Within that, there are seven moves we work through:

1. Understand our client’s ambition
2. Map the business in its current scope
3. Scope the stretch (where the business could credibly go)
4. Redefine vision, scope and objectives → which feeds a balanced growth analysis
5. Define the opportunity map
6. Match needs to benefits and define barriers
7. Define the new positioning

Today’s post focuses on Step 1: Understand our client’s ambition – because if this isn’t clear, everything downstream is shaky: architecture, investment, comms, even hiring.

To bring this to life, I use four simple lenses (you’ll see them in the sketches):

1. Vision – where are we really trying to get to?

This is the honest, de-jargonised picture of the future.

• What are we building beyond the next 12-month plan?
• What would “this worked” actually look like in 5–10 years and can we measure it?
• What do we want to be known for in the market - is this inspiring and directional?.

2. Scope of opportunity – what’s truly in play?

Most businesses either think too narrow (today’s category) or too vague (“global platform for X”).

Here we map the credible playing field:

• Categories and adjacencies we could move into
• Segments, geographies, and channels that are realistically in reach
• Where we have (or could build) a right to win

The goal is to see where ambition is focused, not scattered.

3. Pre-set objectives – what’s already locked in?

Before we get clever with strategy, we need to respect the hard edges:

• Revenue, margin and growth targets already committed
• Non-negotiable constraints (timing, capital, regulation, legacy issues)
• Existing promises to shareholders, boards, or investors

This gives us the frame: what the strategy has to carry, not ignore.

4. Values – what we will and won’t do to get there

Values are often treated as posters on a wall, but in ambition work they’re guardrails:

• What are the lines we won’t cross, even if it’s profitable?
• What principles must show up in every major decision?
• What kind of growth would feel “off” for this company?

It keeps the ambition from drifting into something that looks great on paper but doesn’t fit who they are.

When we put these four together – Vision, Scope of Opportunity, Pre-set Objectives, and Values – we’re no longer talking about “doing a bit of brand work”.

We’re defining ambition with edges: big enough to be exciting, clear enough to steer investment, and grounded enough that people actually believe it.

In the next posts I’ll share how we then:

• Map the current business against that ambition
• Explore credible stretch areas
• And ultimately land a sharper positioning and opportunity map

If you’re leading a brand and feel your ambition is either fuzzy or fragmented, this first step is usually where we start.

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