Strategy First Episode 4: Your Entry Decision

You finally launch. It's quiet. So you drop the price. It works for a minute — then the people it brought in never come back at full price, and you're working just as hard for less. In the final episode of Strategy First — a series for Canadian small business owners on the key marketing decisions behind sustainable growth — we cover how to price and promote your way into a market without falling into the discount trap. Using a classic marketing framework for new product pricing, we break down the four ways a business can enter a market, why most independent businesses default into the wrong one without ever deciding to, and which one almost always fits a Canadian small or micro business best. In this episode, you'll learn: Why dropping your price when things are slow usually backfires — and what it actually signals to the people you most want to keep The four pricing and promotion strategies every business is choosing between, whether they realize it or not Why most independent businesses can't sustain a low-price, high-spend approach — and which strategy fits their cost structure instead How to build visibility without an ad budget, through consistency and community presence instead of spend Why a high price doesn't need defending when it's matched to the right audience New to the series? Start with Episode 1: Your Direction Decision, Episode 2: Your Competitive Decision, and Episode 3: Your Sequence Decision — this episode ties all three together. ➡️ Looking to work together this summer? Explore the Ways to Work With Me page to book a 30min conversation, access resources, join the email list, or learn more about opportunities to work together.