Innovation, while great, needs strategy
I wanted to create a couple of illustrations to depict strategy + innovation. I'm not good at doodling so please bear with me.
Look at the illustration above. Even if you only have one idea, one innovation, one silver bullet - as long as it fits the company's vision and the customers get it, it can go straight to the heart of your market. Niche companies understand this. Even though they only offer a product or two to a small group of people, to that group of people they are the BOMB. Apple and its slim line of Macs, Blogger (before the Google acquisition), Siomai sa Tisa or your other favorite siomai stalls that only offer siomai and puso (hanging rice).
Other companies tend to be everything to everyone. While there are certainly examples of success from companies who try to be all-in-ones, the reason for that is because they are still well within the bounds of their vision. Facebook, for one. Social networking, messaging, photo-sharing, groups, social gaming, pages and a plethora of other products and features. Why are they successful then? Most, if not all, of what they are offering are still within the breadth of their mantra: "Giving the people the power to share and make the world more open and connected." These guys are wicked smart.
