Exceptional critique of how visual compression can mask strategic incoherence. The Capitec example nails it when you point out they're esentially a Landlord pretending to be a Retailer the HBR diagram obscures that economic reality behind colorful ovals. I've seen this pattern in tech companies too where SaaS firms present as software businesses but their unit economics look more like subscription landlords. The formula approach forces honesty about what business you're actually in. That overlap analysis showing Value Proposition appearing across all four elements is particularly telling, it reveals the massive execution burden they're carring. One thing I'd add is that formulas also make it easier to spot when strategy shifts are happenning versus just surface-level pivots.
That’s a great addition, and I agree. One of the quiet benefits of formulas is temporal clarity. When the formula changes, you can tell whether a company is actually shifting strategy or just changing the story around it.
Visuals often mask that distinction because surface elements can be rearranged without altering the underlying economics. A formula forces you to say, explicitly, “What changed?” — the business model, the strategy, the advantage, or just the narrative. That’s where honesty really shows up.
Exceptional critique of how visual compression can mask strategic incoherence. The Capitec example nails it when you point out they're esentially a Landlord pretending to be a Retailer the HBR diagram obscures that economic reality behind colorful ovals. I've seen this pattern in tech companies too where SaaS firms present as software businesses but their unit economics look more like subscription landlords. The formula approach forces honesty about what business you're actually in. That overlap analysis showing Value Proposition appearing across all four elements is particularly telling, it reveals the massive execution burden they're carring. One thing I'd add is that formulas also make it easier to spot when strategy shifts are happenning versus just surface-level pivots.
That’s a great addition, and I agree. One of the quiet benefits of formulas is temporal clarity. When the formula changes, you can tell whether a company is actually shifting strategy or just changing the story around it.
Visuals often mask that distinction because surface elements can be rearranged without altering the underlying economics. A formula forces you to say, explicitly, “What changed?” — the business model, the strategy, the advantage, or just the narrative. That’s where honesty really shows up.