I am no stranger to failure. In fact, one might say it’s my one constant success factor, so when I had the opportunity to review this book, I jumped at the chance. Failing to Win by Mike Quinn is a well-written codification of the success and failure of a FinTech business. Mike Quinn was the co-founder and CEO of Zoona. In this book, he has done a deep dive into the anatomy of why he believes that the company “failed to win.” The business, an early play in the payments transfer space, was a success and was undoubtedly the darling…

We are all familiar with the three monkeys advising against evil—‘See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil.’—but what do the three monkeys of strategy advocate? Unlike the three monkeys who recommend passive avoidance, the three monkeys of strategy urge contributory action: ‘See Unusual. Hear Uncut. Speak Uncommon.’ When you see unusual, you see opportunity—in situations such as: What the customer could accomplish, even if the customer didn’t realise that—as smartphone makers foresaw. What the customer might outsource—as task-runner companies noticed. What the customer wants to use but not own—as ride-sharing companies espied. What the customer doesn’t want to…