11 – Owning the Problem: Christopher Lochhead on Why the Best Product Doesn’t Win

Your host Alex Shevelenko welcomes Christopher Lochhead, a three-time public company CMO, best-selling author of Play Bigger, Niche Down, and The Existing Market Trap, and host of Follow Your Different. Together, they explore what most businesses get wrong about growth, positioning, and innovation.

Known as the godfather of category design and often called the Gordon Ramsay of business, Christopher doesn’t sugarcoat the truth. He explains why the idea that “the best product wins” is the biggest lie in business, how the most successful companies create new categories instead of competing in existing ones, and how to recognize whether you are solving a hard-to-solve or a hard-to-sell problem. He also shares why AI is replacing book-smart people, not street-smart ones.

Christopher reveals the hidden force he calls “the existing market trap,” which keeps even great companies from breaking through, and explains how leaders can escape it before it kills their strategy.

To continue the conversation with Christopher, connect with him on LinkedIn or learn more at lochhead.com.

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