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

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

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

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

Building Brands for B2B Tech Founders that turn into multi 6-figures in their sales pipeline

$15,400,000 in influenced pipeline for our B2B founders & CEOs.

→ The best product doesn’t always win, visible ones do.
→ Your competitors are building authority while you’re stuck in the shadows.
→ You’re missing 6-7 figures because you’re not top of mind.

We fix that.

Our branding approach turns B2B tech founders and CEOs into industry authorities - amplifying visibility, driving revenue, and shortening sales cycles.

→ Reach your ideal buyers
→ Close deals faster
→ Attract PR & podcasts
→ Find investment deals
→ Boost employer branding

The Results Speak for Themselves:

💰 $320K deal closed 70% faster through LinkedIn content.
💰 $93K in paid ads saved with a single LinkedIn post. 
💰 $1.8M in funding secured after building the founder’s brand.
💰 800+ CTOs reached in a single post, hitting their exact ICP.
💰 $3.2M in pipeline influenced in 2024 alone.

Trusted by Founders & CEOs from:
Metadata, Hootsuite, ClickFunnels, PostPilot, Mighty Networks, Zakeke, and 35+ more.

What they say: 

⭐ “Filipa helped me scale my social presence, structure my posts, and have real industry conversations.”
— Gil Allouche, CEO @ Metadata.io (Inc5000, Series B)

⭐ “Filipa helped me turn my experience running ClickFunnels into content that performs, get on relevant podcasts, and scale my brand.”
— Todd Dickerson, Co-Founder @ ClickFunnels ($100M+ SaaS)

⭐ “People finally see us again. They see my company, they see me. And that’s why suddenly people reach out to us again… which is pretty awesome!”
— Leopold, CEO @ Amsterdam Standard

Filipa Canelas

LinkedIn® content is now being indexed by ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI.
 
𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲: Content lived for 48 hours max 
𝗡𝗼𝘄: LLMs are surfacing your content months after you publish it
 
Here's why this matters:
 
→ 94% of B2B buyers use LLMs while researching vendors (6sense, 2025) 
→ LLM visitors convert 4.4x more than organic search (Semrush, 2025) 
→ Only 3% of buyers self-identify through forms... 97% research anonymously
 
So when your buyers ask ChatGPT to 'compare CRM tools for enterprise' or 'implementation timelines for healthcare tech'... your content might be the answer they see.
 
If you're known for one thing and consistently deliver insights on that topic, LLMs start associating your brand with that expertise.
 
TL;DR
 
Your buyers are forming opinions about you and your company through AI-curated content before they ever visit your website or talk to sales.
 
And your next $100k+ deal might start with an AI conversation you're not part of…
 
Swipe to learn how to make your LinkedIn® content LLM-friendly →

Building & Scaling Brands for B2B SaaS CEOs you follow on LinkedIn® that turn into 7-figures in their pipeline

Get your LinkedIn Content to show up in LLMs

LinkedIn and Edelman just exposed the "hidden buyer" problem that's been killing B2B content strategy.

Here's what the data revealed about hidden buyers:

1/ 71% agree that thought leadership is 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴.

2/ 91% say that quality thought leadership 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 they hadn’t recognized.

3/ 95% say quality thought leadership makes them 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵.

This means...

Hidden buyers are actively seeking thought leadership but they are not liking your LinkedIn posts.

So if you're just optimizing for visible and measurable KPIs, you're missing a significant percentage of the pie.

Here’s the shift:

- Create content that educates silent evaluators
- Address concerns of budget approvers and compliance teams
- Build trust with the 95% who are not in the market

The loudest audience isn't always the right one 🙈

One-page CEO LinkedIn Playbook for 2026:


This approach turns your B2B SaaS CEO brand into a marketing channel that supports your entire GTM strategy... and drives pipeline.

"I'm sold… but I still need to sell this to my boss." This is where most B2B deals go to die.

Your product might be exactly what they need. But if your champion can't build internal consensus, they won't pick you.

Think about it… 

When your ideal buyer walks into a room with 5 decision-makers, what do they have to work with? 

Can they find content that proves you're credible? Does your brand presence back up what they're pitching?

79% of hidden decision-makers say they're more likely to advocate for vendors who consistently produce quality thought leadership. (Edelman-LinkedIn, 2025)

This has nothing to do with impressions, followers or even brand awareness. You’re giving your champion something to point to when their CFO asks "why this vendor?”

Let’s call it ammunition for the people selling you behind closed doors.

Is it easy to measure? 

No, not really. But your champions can tell you, just ask how they sold you internally.

Can your CEO's LinkedIn post reach 800+ CTOs in a private WhatsApp group?  

(yes, screenshot from a client)

When you create content that resonates with decision-makers, it gets shared in places you'd never reach through traditional marketing:

- Private Slack channels
- WhatsApp groups with hundreds of your ICPs
- Internal company email threads

There's very little chance you'll see this in GA4 or attribution software. It's called dark social for a reason - places where your analytics can't go, but where buyers are making decisions...

Which means the content that reaches those rooms has to earn its way there.

So the bar isn't "post content." 

The bar is content that makes your buyers think - "my team needs to see this." 

When that happens, they'll save your post, forward it and bring it to conversations where deals are influenced.

Your CEO posts about everything… then wonders why they're not getting invited to speak at events where ideal buyers hang out.

Event organizers Google potential speakers, ask ChatGPT, scroll their LinkedIn and ask peers for recommendations..

All in search for one answer: 

"Who should we book to cover this topic?” 

If the answer isn't obvious when they land on your CEO’s profile, they move on.

Check out the screenshot from a CEO we work with who got invited to speak at a major industry event. 

What made it obvious?

→ 1-2 topics. Not 10.
→ 90% of content aligned with their value prop. 
→ Insightful takes and contrarian positions.

When the organizer read the last 5 posts of this CEO, they immediately knew the topic he could speak on. 

A single keynote puts your CEO in front of hundreds or thousands of ideal buyers. Oh, and because they're on stage, the credibility is already baked in.

But you have to work on the brand first.

taplio

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The Battle

Alex M H Smith

Filipa Canelas

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Posts

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Alex M H Smith's LinkedIn Performance

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