In the middle of a Wardley Map lies the transitional space — where new discoveries become products and services that generate real value.
But economics 101 reminds us: where there’s demand, supply will rise to meet it. Competition quickly appears here and a battle for market share and profits breaks out.
Your ‘Pioneers’ — your special forces — aren’t built for this kind of fight. They’re great at taking new ground, but not at holding it or advancing against a well equipped rival.
Now it’s the turn of your ‘Settlers’ — to make what’s new, work at greater scale.
This is how Airbnb opened up the Cuba market faster than their rivals — recognising they needed different kinds of project managers to open the market first, then build lasting value.
Here, investment shifts from exploration to exploitation. You’re no longer betting on ideas; you’re building new capabilities — improving what works, and buying anything you’re not selling commercially off the shelf at a fixed price, to keep costs down and margins high.
Your Settlers make this possible. They standardise where it adds value, automate where it saves time, and refine every weak link in the chain.
Because in this phase, the smartest investment isn’t in what’s new — it’s in making what works, work brilliantly.
But economics 101 reminds us: where there’s demand, supply will rise to meet it. Competition quickly appears here and a battle for market share and profits breaks out.
Your ‘Pioneers’ — your special forces — aren’t built for this kind of fight. They’re great at taking new ground, but not at holding it or advancing against a well equipped rival.
Now it’s the turn of your ‘Settlers’ — to make what’s new, work at greater scale.
This is how Airbnb opened up the Cuba market faster than their rivals — recognising they needed different kinds of project managers to open the market first, then build lasting value.
Here, investment shifts from exploration to exploitation. You’re no longer betting on ideas; you’re building new capabilities — improving what works, and buying anything you’re not selling commercially off the shelf at a fixed price, to keep costs down and margins high.
Your Settlers make this possible. They standardise where it adds value, automate where it saves time, and refine every weak link in the chain.
Because in this phase, the smartest investment isn’t in what’s new — it’s in making what works, work brilliantly.
