INTELLIGENCE BRIEF:
Business owners often focus on achieving incremental growth. For someone building a legacy business - one that funds your values, builds real influence, and shapes the world around you - the focus should be on exponential growth.
And exponential growth doesn't come from doing more; that's unsustainable. It comes from seeing more.
Using business intelligence to shape your decisions has the potential to be your strongest advantage. True intelligence isn't just market reports and data - it's about turning observations into strategy.
Businesses who successfully use intelligence in their business operations make smarter, more decisive moves. They scale more precisely, correctly anticipate their audience's needs, and position themselves as a leader in their category.
For example:
- Netflix didn't just stream content - they used viewer data to green-light their popular show, House of Cards.
- Glossier read thousands of comments and used that information to design their products accordingly.
- Canva listened to the pain points of non-designers and built that into a billion-dollar company.
In these cases, intelligence didn't just support the business. It shaped it.
YOUR MOVE:
Build your personalized intelligence playbook - a system of seeing the things that are most likely to affect your business, industry, and clients. Then use that information to plan your next steps.
THE PLAYBOOK:
1. Research one strategic question each week:
- What is my audience googling this week that no one in my niche is addressing or solving?
- How are people buying right now - in my industry and my demographic as a whole?
- What are my ideal clients frustrated about? Talking about on Reddit, TikTok, Amazon reviews, etc.?
- What customer feedback am I receiving? And pay close attention - some of this feedback may be subtle.
2. Block 20 minutes a week for intelligence gathering. Once a week, scan the following categories:
- Competitor Activity: What are they launching, changing, testing?
- Industry Shifts: New laws, tech, AI trends, economic shifts, consumer habits, even adjacent industries.
- Customer Signals: What are people asking for? Avoiding?What offers are they gravitating to and is that in line with previous trends?
Track this information in a document you can access regularly. Look for patterns from week to week.
3. Test a business move early. Don't wait for proof - the advantage comes from acting early. Try:
- Creating a waitlist before a launch.
- Releasing an upcoming trend post that positions you as an early adopter.
- Shaping messaging around what's next, not what's popular. (This has the added benefit of potentially influencing where the market goes next.)
Don't wait for validation. Move like an insider, even if you're not one yet.
4. Turn your data into your next-level decisions. Use what you find to:
- Refine your pricing, positioning, or offers.
- Adjust your quarterly goals or projections based on real signals - not just gut instinct.
- Create content or campaigns before the trend peaks and declines.
Use the knowledge to position yourself powerfully.
WHY IT WORKS:
Exponential, legacy-building growth isn't built on trial-and-error. It comes from foresight.
Don't make your decisions from the rearview mirror - based only on what has worked in the past. Business intelligence ensures you're able to act on what's next, too. This is how people are able to scale with precision - and without the burnout.
THE FINAL WORD:
Business intelligence takes the guesswork out of your success. Use it to position yourself as the future of your industry.
