Each and every week the Square Holes team are deep in the bowels of a number of projects, working to mine all of the insights that we can to help grow businesses and support thriving cities.

These insights are used by businesses and organisations to innovate their offerings, move into new markets, track their impact and hone their products and output. Each week we will be sharing a broad insight that we have learnt for you to use in your own work.

Let us know what you find valuable!

Jason: Get your BHAG

Across our research, from wine, B2B and across different sectors, many businesses are struggling, while others thrive, particularly in the current rocky economic times. Why? My observation is the dangers of the ‘middle.’ Many businesses get stuck in the risky middle—offering generic products at mid-tier prices—squeezed between low-cost efficiency players and high-value premium specialists. Innovation often lives at the edges, not in the middle. Without clear value, distinctiveness, or financial momentum, the middle stagnates. This concept has links to Isaiah Berlin’s famous line: “The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.” Foxes are broad, curious, and adaptable; hedgehogs are deeply focused with a clear vision. Great organisations blend both. For example – Apple’s hedgehog-like obsession with design and ecosystem, paired with fox-like innovation across markets. The danger lies in leaning too far either way: rigid or chaotic. Instead, ask yourself (or your AI): “What’s my fox vs. hedgehog score on a -100 to +100 scale?” Then boss it—know who you are, lead with boldness, and pursue a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) with confidence.  The economy is tough, and likely always has been. Success comes in knowing your brand and having a clear vision, not being lazy (e.g. proactively sell), and maintaining a sense of resilience, curiosity and innovation.

I posted this longer version earlier this week >

Dylan: Clear objectives for success

Clear objectives are essential for research projects, as they provide the necessary direction and purpose to guide every decision and action. Without them, nearly half of all projects, as studies show, fail to meet their intended goals (often the result of vague or undefined scopes). A concise and focused mission statement and research objectives are the guiding force, aligning all stakeholders and ensuring efficient use of time and resources. Ultimately, clarity at the outset leads to more meaningful (and useable) outcomes and a higher likelihood of project success.

Mahalia: Slow is here to teach us

There is a lot to learn in the slow moments. As technology rapidly advances and corporations rush to push the next development, it seems that slow consideration has been relegated to the side lines. The concern is that all this hurried progress for progress sake is failing to account for the human consequences. As more and more work becomes automated, and systems so advanced that the line between reality and artifice is near impossible to tell, we are losing sight of the things that link us. Slowness has always been deemed as undesirable in the face of rapid change, but it is in slowness that we allow ourselves the space and time to really think things through, and invite in new perspectives.

Think your business or organisation could do with some insights? Contact us here.