Business Models for the Sky Rockets: Strategic Frameworks That Define the Future

The Strategy Imperative

In an era where technological disruption is measured in months and startups can scale to billion dollar valuations in under three years, the question is no longer 'Should we rethink strategy'? but 'How often, and with what toolkit'?

For founders, executives, consultants, and innovation leaders alike, understanding foundational business models is no longer optional it’s the minimum viable knowledge required to lead with foresight and agility.

Yet, amidst the chaos of trend cycles and buzzwords, a few strategic frameworks have stood the test of time not just because they offer insight, but because they force clarity. In this article, we explore six of the most enduring and practical models that help skyrocket strategic thinking:

  1. McKinsey’s Three Horizons of Growth

  2. Future-Back Strategy from EY

  3. Porter’s Five Forces of Competitive Analysis

  4. BCG Growth-Share Matrix

  5. Kenichi Ohmae’s 3 C’s Model

  6. The GE–McKinsey Nine-Box Matrix









1. McKinsey’s Three Horizons: The Time-Traveler’s Blueprint

Concept: Strategy isn't just about today. McKinsey’s model splits growth efforts into three temporal horizons:

  • Horizon 1: Core businesses driving current profits.

  • Horizon 2: Emerging opportunities with high potential.

  • Horizon 3: Long-shot ideas and disruptive bets.


Source : ResearchGate

Horizon Table:







Why It Matters:

This model de-risks future thinking. Leaders no longer need to choose between “now” and “next.” The brilliance lies in parallel planning, not sequential obsession.

2. Future-Back Strategy: Planning from Tomorrow to Today

Concept: Popularized by EY and transformation thinkers, Future-Back planning starts at the north star a bold vision of what your organization or industry should look like in 10 to 15 years and then works backward.

Steps:

  1. Articulate a compelling long-term vision (2035, for example).

  2. Identify capabilities and milestones needed by year.

  3. Design 'From-Back' pathways to reach those milestones.

Example:

  • Vision: 'In 2035, we will be the first carbon-negative logistics company in Asia'.

  • Backward Path: Green fleet adoption → Partner carbon exchanges → AI route optimization → ESG-centered rebranding.

Why It Matters:

This method instills direction without being reactive. It forces intentionality something many 'fast movers' often lack.

3. Porter’s Five Forces: The Structural Analyst’s Crystal Ball

Concept: Michael Porter’s timeless model analyzes the five forces that determine the competitive intensity and attractiveness of a market.

The Five Forces:

  1. Industry Rivalry

  2. Threat of New Entrants

  3. Bargaining Power of Suppliers

  4. Bargaining Power of Buyers

  5. Threat of Substitutes

Example: Online Food Delivery Sector







Why It Matters:

This model provides a static diagnostic lens for market assessment. It’s especially powerful for investment decisions, market entry, or M&A analysis.

4. BCG Growth-Share Matrix: The Portfolio Capitalist’s Compass

Concept: Developed by Boston Consulting Group, this matrix classifies business units/products into four categories based on market growth rate and relative market share.

Quadrants:

  • Stars: High growth, high share (Future winners)

  • Cash Cows: Low growth, high share (Fund the rest)

  • Question Marks: High growth, low share (Invest or kill)

  • Dogs: Low growth, low share (Exit or restructure)

Example Table: Tech Conglomerate Portfolio




Why It Matters:

It helps with capital allocation and removes emotion from portfolio decisions. If you're running a portfolio of products or BUs, this is your budgetary sherpa.

5. Ohmae’s 3 C’s: Strategic Alignment in Three Circles

Concept: Japanese strategist Kenichi Ohmae believed strategy succeeds when it aligns three dimensions:

  1. Customer Needs

  2. Company Capabilities

  3. Competitor Weaknesses

Venn Diagram Logic:

The 'Strategic Sweet Spot' is where your company meets customer desires better than your rivals can.

Application Table: Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) Skincare Brand




Why It Matters:

This is positioning logic. It ensures you're not building in isolation but in tandem with your customers’ reality and your rivals’ mistakes.

6. GE–McKinsey Nine Box Matrix: The Corporate Chessboard

Concept: An evolution of the BCG Matrix, this grid helps multi-business corporations prioritize where to invest, hold, or divest, based on:

  • Industry Attractiveness

  • Business Unit Strength


Example: Industrial Group Portfolio


Why It Matters:

This is the macro portfolio optimization tool, used often in conglomerates, PEs, and holding companies.

Comparative Summary













Strategy isn’t a static document, nor is it a quarterly offsite ritual. It's a living discipline blending market logic, internal capability, and long-range curiosity. Each model above offers a lens; none are complete in isolation, but together they help decode the turbulence of growth. Whether you're in a scale-up, a legacy giant, or a government think-tank dreaming of Tech Valleys, understanding these models equips you with the confidence to act, pivot, and scale—with intent.











Popular posts from this blog

First Trip of 2K25 - Tough Roads & No Network, but Apple Watch got my back?

Image
 During my recent road trip to Shergaon, Arunachal Pradesh, with three of my friends from diverse professions, I encountered a fascinating situation that highlighted how technology can make travel more efficient, even in remote locations.  Driving the Tata Safari from Guwahati, the journey took us through some of the most scenic yet network-challenged areas, particularly the stretch between Bhairabkundu and Shergaon which has no mobilde network and internet Worried about navigating without connectivity, I turned to my Apple Watch Series 10, which significantly contributed to making our trip successful and stress-free.The GPS capabilities of the watch independent of cellular network or Wi-Fi, allowed me to track our location accurately throughout the entire journey.  The built-in compass backtrack mode was especially invaluable , As with this feature, I could trace our steps and the route even without access to maps or real-time location updates, providing reassurance in ...
Read more

Guwahati, the Venice of the East: A Consultant's Chronicle of Rain Deluge

Image
Prologue: 30th May 2025 When the Rain Wouldn’t Stop The monsoon arrived in Guwahati with its usual fanfare thunderclaps echoing like a grand overture, the Brahmaputra swelling with purpose. 30th May 2025, Guwahati drowned beneath a curtain of relentless rain. I had just left office, thinking it would be a slow drive home. Instead, I found myself battling a flash flood, barely navigating through submerged streets. My car sputtered in protest, coughing through water that nearly silenced the engine for good. The number plate was torn away by the current gone, like so many fragments of the city swallowed by the deluge. I gripped the steering wheel harder than I’ve held onto most things in life. By the time I reached home, drenched in sweat and streetlight reflection, I wasn’t thinking about the struggle anymore. A question crept into my mind, unbidden but persistent: What if the rain never stops? What would Guwahati look like after 30 days of unyielding deluge? As a consultant shaped by Bi...
Read more

Flight AI171: A Heartbreak in the Heavens, a Reckoning on Earth

Image
  Flight AI171: A Heartbreak in the Heavens, a Reckoning on Earth By : Kaushik Khanikar Date : 13-06-2025 The skies over India bore witness to a harrowing silence as Air India flight AI171 met a tragic end. What was intended to be another seamless commercial passage across clouds became a stark reminder that beneath the marvel of modern aviation lies a lattice of decisions, trade-offs, and vulnerabilities technical, managerial, and moral. For those of us who’ve admired aircraft from runways or run simulation checks in hobbyist RC setups, this event strikes with more than grief, it stirs introspection. I. The Whistle That Pierced the Silence Picture this: Sam Salehpour, a Boeing engineer with grit in his veins, standing alone in a sea of suits. He wasn’t chasing fame or a Netflix documentary. He was chasing truth. His warning? The 787 Dreamliner, that sleek marvel of modern aviation, had flaws so small you’d need a microscope to see them—gaps in its fuselage, mere whispers of ...
Read more