Book “Simple Strategy” - Simple Strategy

Simple Strategy

How to Design and Execute a Simple But Powerful Business Strategy

A book for entrepreneurs, managers, and business leaders

Discover a Simple Way to Think About Business Strategy.

Simple Strategy helps you design your business or personal goals with focus and simplicity. No complex theories — just practical tools and simple steps to design and execute your strategy.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a leader, or someone seeking simplicity in work, this book will guide you.

What You'll Find in This Book

A step-by-step approach to strategy design and execution, based on the author’s 18 years of consulting experience — including work at BCG.

Simple, practical, and powerful — that’s the essence of this book.

19 practical frameworks to help you design and execute your own strategy.

Includes a downloadable PowerPoint with strategy framework slides and guiding questions.

Simple Strategy Core Values

Simplicity

Keep strategy simple. Keep products simple. Keep communication simple. Keep things clear and straightforward. Focus on what truly matters and eliminate unnecessary distractions. Simplicity brings strength, kindness, and beauty.

Focus

Focus on what is most important. Avoid using your energy across too many directions. By focusing your mind, strength, energy, and resources on a single point, you can achieve the greatest results.

Dialogue

Engage in open and constructive conversations with mutual respect and equality. Dialogue builds trust, strengthens teams, and leads to better solutions. Listen actively with compassion and respect different perspectives.

Freedom, Autonomy, and Authenticity

Act with the freedom to make choices that align with your values. Encourage autonomy in decision-making and action. Stay authentic to yourself and your organization’s purpose.

Action-Oriented

Strategy is meaningless without execution. Take quick, small steps and learn from action. Prioritize doing over endless planning. Drive real results.

Inner Peace

Slow down. Be yourself. Stay calm and focused. Don’t let anxiety, fear, anger, desire, pride, or external expectations disturb your mind. If you ever feel a lack of inner peace, close your eyes and take a deep breath, even for a short moment.

What is Simple Strategy?

Simple Strategy is a comprehensive concept encompassing frameworks, principles, and practices, designed to guide individuals and organizations in creating and executing a simple strategy.

I created the Simple Strategy concept by combining strategic and logical thinking with simple frameworks, a calm mindset, dialogue and questions. Before that, I was a typical logical consultant judging things only by research and analysis. One day, I realized that strategies created through purely logical analysis cannot change a company. Since then, I have learned simplicity from Zen principles, dialogue and questions from coaching, and flexible thinking from design thinking, while gaining practical experience through consulting work and running my own company. Through those learnings and experiences, I gradually developed the current form of Simple Strategy.

Rather than getting lost in complexity, Simple Strategy encourages a clear and focused mindset. It allows you to prioritize what is most important, eliminate unnecessary distractions, and move forward with simple and specific steps.

Simple Strategy teaches us that true strategic power comes from clarity—identifying what truly matters, eliminating distractions, and taking focused action with a calm, centered approach.

19 Simple Strategy Frameworks Introduced in the Book

Content

1. Creating Space

2. Dialogue

3. Simple Strategy Concept

4. Simple Strategy Process

5. Purpose and Goal

6. Opportunity Finding

7. Strategic Core

8. Differentiation

9. Basic Business Cycle

10. Marketing 4P

11. Operations

12. Marketing and Sales Process

13. Action Plan

14. Execution

15. Organizational Design

16. Review and Refinement

17. Trying New Business

18. Continuity

19. Generating Results

About the Author

Akira Toda

Strategy Consultant / Coach / Facilitator

Based in Orange County, California, Akira runs Strategy Consulting, Online Business Schools, and Strategy Workshops.

His core values include simplicity, focus, dialogue, authenticity, action, and inner peace. He helps individuals and organizations create simple and practical strategies—and turn them into meaningful results.

A former consultant at Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Akira developed the Simple Strategy method after realizing that only logic, analysis, and 100-pege PowerPoint slides can’t lead to true success in business. He believes that real success comes from simplicity, focus, and authenticity. He holds an MBA from UCLA and is originally from Japan.