At a recent TAB Board meeting, a familiar scenario unfolded — one that many business owners can relate to.
A member, leading a rapidly growing service company, posed a forward-looking question: What’s the next big move for our business? The idea on the table was compelling — expand their trusted service offering to include a suite of additional professional services. Given the deep client relationships they had built over the years, this felt like a natural evolution.
One member even chimed in enthusiastically, “I’d sign up for that!”
But then the group did what all great TAB Boards do: they started digging.
And what they uncovered turned the conversation on its head.
When a Great Idea Meets Real-World Complexity
As the Board unpacked the concept, a few critical insights emerged:
· Clients already had providers. Many customers were already deeply entrenched with other service providers for these new offerings. Displacing them would be no small feat.
· Relationships don’t transfer automatically. The client’s trust was in this business, these people. Introducing unfamiliar professionals — even under the same brand — might not carry the same weight.
· The business risked diluting what made it great. The original service worked so well because it was based on long-term, high-trust relationships. Expanding too quickly or too broadly could erode that foundation.
The Takeaway? Ask Before You Leap
What felt like a logical next step internally was, from the customer’s perspective, potentially irrelevant — or even unwanted.
And that’s the core lesson here.
Before launching a new offering or investing in expansion, go back to the source: your customers. What are their unmet needs? Where do they experience friction? What would they value next?
Not only will those conversations clarify your direction — they might even uncover needs your customers weren’t fully aware of themselves. But it starts by asking the right questions.
Strategy Is a Two-Way Street
Strategic growth isn’t just about what you can do. It’s about understanding what your customers truly need — and being humble enough to test your assumptions before you act on them.
So the next time a big idea starts to take shape inside your boardroom, pause and ask:
Is this a great idea — or is it just a great idea to us?
Eduan Steynberg – The Alternative Board, Western Cape