Understanding Strategy

The Operational Framework

This document outlines how strategy fits into the bigger picture at Fairing. Think of our operational framework as a pyramid. Each level supports the one above it, creating a clear hierarchy that guides our decisions and actions.

• Vision sits at the top. It's our aspirational picture of the future we want to create.

• Mission supports the vision. It defines our purpose and what we do to achieve that future.

• Strategy supports the mission. It's our integrated set of choices about how we'll win in our market.

• Planning supports the strategy. It's our specific, time-bound actions and initiatives.

What Strategy Is (and Isn't)

Let's clear up a common misconception about strategy: A strategy is not a plan. This is probably the most important distinction to understand. A strategy is a set of choices about how we'll compete and win. A plan is a list of specific actions we'll take over a specific time period. Think of strategy as your recipe for success, and planning as your shopping list and cooking schedule. The recipe doesn't change just because you're cooking dinner on Tuesday instead of Wednesday.

• Strategy asks: "Where will we play, and how will we win?"

• Planning asks: "What will we do this week, month, or quarter, and who will do it?"

Strategy Is Not Time-Bound

You won't see phrases like "Q2 strategy" or "2025 strategy" here. That's because strategy isn't about when we do things—it's about how we choose to compete. Our strategy is an integrated set of choices that define our hypothesis of how to win in our market. These choices should remain consistent regardless of whether we're executing in Q1 or Q4.

Strategy Should Be Durable

Good strategy is built to last. We expect ours to be stable for at least two quarters because it takes time to build capabilities, constant pivots prevent us from getting good at anything, and our team needs consistency to make aligned decisions every day.

How Strategy Evolves

As we learn more about our market and customers, we will update our strategy to reflect our learnings. This is healthy and expected—but it should happen thoughtfully, not reactively.

Strategic updates typically happen when we discover:

• Our assumptions about our ideal customer were wrong

• Our competitive advantages aren't as strong as we thought

• New market opportunities that are significantly better than our current focus

• Our capabilities have evolved in ways that open new strategic options

Your Daily Strategy Check

Here's where strategy becomes practical for everyone on the team. Our strategy gives you a simple framework for evaluating your work:

Does this [feature/campaign/initiative] help us achieve our winning aspiration, on our chosen playing field, using our unique method for winning?

If the answer is a clear "yes," you're aligned with our strategy. If it's "no" or "maybe," it's worth questioning whether that work should be a priority.

Examples in Practice

Let's say you're considering these initiatives:

• Building a new dashboard feature: Does this help our ideal customers (growth-focused companies struggling with attribution) get more value from our data? If yes, it's aligned.

• Writing a blog post about survey best practices: Does this establish us as the strategic partner (not just a tool) for our ideal customer? If yes, it's aligned.

• Adding support for a new e-commerce platform: Does this help us reach more of our ideal customers, or does it distract us from our core focus? This requires deeper analysis.

• Attending a marketing conference: Will this help us learn about our ideal customers' challenges or connect with growth-focused companies? If yes, it's aligned.

• Hiring for a new role: Does this person help us build our must-have capabilities faster? Will they work with our ideal customer profile? If yes, it's aligned.

Why This Works

When everyone uses this daily strategy check, powerful things happen:

• Faster decisions - strategy provides the answer
• Better alignment - we all move in the same direction
• Clearer priorities - strategy helps us choose what matters most
• Stronger execution - our resources get focused

Questions?

Strategy can feel abstract at first, but it becomes more concrete as you use it. If you're ever unsure whether something aligns with our strategy, ask! The whole point is to create clarity, not confusion.

Remember: our strategy is a living document. As we learn and grow, it will evolve. But the framework—vision, mission, strategy, planning—will remain our north star for making decisions and staying focused.

Ready for Our Strategy?

Now that you understand how strategy works and have the daily strategy check tool, you're ready to dive into Fairing's specific strategy. As you read it, look for:

• Our winning aspiration - what gets us out of bed
• Our chosen playing field - the specific customers we target
• Our unique method for winning - how we differentiate
• Our must-have capabilities - what we need to be world-class at
• Our enabling systems - the processes that make it all work

Remember to use the daily strategy check as you read: "Does this help us achieve our winning aspiration, on our chosen playing field, using our unique method for winning?" This question will make everything more actionable.