Unstuck: A framework for business growth when it seems impossible
Achieving consistent and meaningful growth within an established organization is a constant battle against gravity. The gravity of already successful products, ingrained customer expectations, and how things have always been done.
In Unstuck, we show you how to escape that gravity and defy the pull of your core business to deliver meaningful, sustained growth.
Exceptional growth remains the exception.
Only 1 in 8 companies recorded a yearly growth rate over 10% in the decade preceding the Covid pandemic. And projections place global growth at just 2.7% over the next two years.
Real growth happens outside of your core business.
With 87.5% of digital transformation initiatives falling short of expectations and only 6% of CEOs satisfied with innovation performance, it’s clear: businesses need a new playbook to achieve the kind of results that ignite shareholder enthusiasm.
Incremental improvements are no longer enough—they’re just the price of entry. True breakthrough growth requires escaping the gravitational pull of your core business to explore bold, new approaches—without dismantling the formula that made you successful in the first place. But knowing where to play and how to apply this radically different mindset is a monumental challenge. That’s exactly why we wrote Unstuck.
Assess the limitations of your core business
The illusion of business transformation
Maximize the value of what makes you strong
What leaders say about Unstuck
“As someone who navigates the complexities of internal innovation and digital transformation, I found the Unstuck framework both insightful and practical. The chapter on core strategies resonates with me because I know the difficulties of changing a company from within, but it should also be the starting point of successful change. I am a true believer in and an advocate for core-driven transformation and adjacent growth strategies. The critique of detached innovation also struck a chord; I've seen how venturing too far from the core business mostly leads to wasted resources.”
Abdulmonem Al Rawaf
Risk & Compliance, Fintech & Innovation Leader
“Unstuck is the guide to business growth I wish I'd had 30 years ago. It shows why so many corporate growth programs fail: the relentless pull of the core business. I believe in adjacent growth—enabling innovation beyond the status quo without losing sight of a company's strengths. By balancing what's familiar with what's new, business leaders can make small, calculated bets rather than risking it all on big, sweeping changes. Growth today demands discipline, experimentation, and the courage to challenge the comfort zones.”
Fabrice Zumbrunnen
Chairman of Stryber & CEO of Aevis Victoria
"'Unstuck' captures the challenges of driving growth within established organizations. With my experience in managing large digital transformations and complex businesses, I understand the difficulty of internal change and aligning acquisitions. The focus on adjacent growth is practical, leveraging core assets to expand into new markets without overreaching. Overcoming the “gravity” of ingrained processes and expectations is incredibly hard, and I find this paper provides actionable insights for leaders tasked with driving business expansion."
Marcel Keller
Independent Board Member, Transformational Leader
“As someone who navigates the complexities of internal innovation and digital transformation, I found the Unstuck framework both insightful and practical. The chapter on core strategies resonates with me because I know the difficulties of changing a company from within, but it should also be the starting point of successful change. I am a true believer in and an advocate for core-driven transformation and adjacent growth strategies. The critique of detached innovation also struck a chord; I've seen how venturing too far from the core business mostly leads to wasted resources.”
Abdulmonem Al Rawaf
Risk & Compliance, Fintech & Innovation Leader
“Unstuck is the guide to business growth I wish I'd had 30 years ago. It shows why so many corporate growth programs fail: the relentless pull of the core business. I believe in adjacent growth—enabling innovation beyond the status quo without losing sight of a company's strengths. By balancing what's familiar with what's new, business leaders can make small, calculated bets rather than risking it all on big, sweeping changes. Growth today demands discipline, experimentation, and the courage to challenge the comfort zones.”
Fabrice Zumbrunnen
Chairman of Stryber & CEO of Aevis Victoria
"'Unstuck' captures the challenges of driving growth within established organizations. With my experience in managing large digital transformations and complex businesses, I understand the difficulty of internal change and aligning acquisitions. The focus on adjacent growth is practical, leveraging core assets to expand into new markets without overreaching. Overcoming the “gravity” of ingrained processes and expectations is incredibly hard, and I find this paper provides actionable insights for leaders tasked with driving business expansion."
Marcel Keller
Independent Board Member, Transformational Leader
“As someone who navigates the complexities of internal innovation and digital transformation, I found the Unstuck framework both insightful and practical. The chapter on core strategies resonates with me because I know the difficulties of changing a company from within, but it should also be the starting point of successful change. I am a true believer in and an advocate for core-driven transformation and adjacent growth strategies. The critique of detached innovation also struck a chord; I've seen how venturing too far from the core business mostly leads to wasted resources.”
Abdulmonem Al Rawaf
Risk & Compliance, Fintech & Innovation Leader
A decade in the making...
"The most lucrative and exciting opportunities for meaningful growth are typically not found through the adoption of agile methodologies or running broad digital transformation projects. They are discovered in adjacent markets through smart diversification. Whether by intelligent acquisition or building something new that exploits existing knowledge in new ways, an adjacent strategy offers the best way to become unstuck. It is time for a new approach to growth. One which recognises we must escape the stifling gravity of business as usual."
Jan Sedlacek
Co-Founder & Managing Parther
Clients growing beyond the ordinary
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Unstuck: A growth framework designed for today's harsh business reality.
Business growth is the top priority for 62% of CEOs, yet sustained growth remains out of reach for most established companies. With mounting shareholder pressure and countless strategies to choose from, it’s no wonder many corporate leaders feel stuck. Our framework explores the many growth strategy options available to business leaders, breaking them into three distinct innovation layers. We analyze which approaches are inherently limited, which risk destroying business value, and—most importantly—how to identify the sweet-spot strategies to unlock lasting growth.
Core strategies
These strategies are lower-risk, leveraging and expanding what the business already does well. It’s why market penetration strategies are still so common today. But while these strategies are safe, they rarely deliver transformational growth. Why? Because they operate within the same governance structures, processes, and culture that limit expansive innovation.
Adjacent strategies
These strategies allow businesses to diversify while still benefiting from the core organization’s resources. Think of it as the sweet spot—enough distance to innovate, but close enough to leverage existing assets and capabilities. You’ll create ventures that remain separate from the core, but with access to resources, commercial cover, and established distribution channels.
Detached strategies
Companies implementing these strategies operate like holding companies, running a collection of unrelated entities. Each entity is free to move in its own direction, with few, if any, synergies. The problem? No shared assets and managing diverse businesses is a huge challenge. Detached ventures lack focus and struggle to compete. Investors see it too—conglomerates typically trade at a discount.
