100 Businesses (Humans) vs. 1 Market (Gorilla)
Yes, there are powerful business strategy lessons to be learned from this scenario.
When a fragmented collective (in this case, a horde of humans) faces a single dominant player (the gorilla, which could be a market leader, a disruptive innovation, or a major economic force), that sheer force of nature can become a direct threat to your business. In this case, death by mush.
The apex predator doesn’t need to fight fairly. It can outmanoeuvre, overwhelm, or flatten any competition that plays its game.
So the real question is this: how can you, as one business among many, learn to work with or tackle the gorilla rather than be crushed beneath it?
Offer a Delight
Don’t try to win by sheer volume. You can flood the market with ads, features, or products, but if they lack quality, the gorilla won’t even take a bite.
To calm the beast, feed it something it craves, feed it a steak, cooked and presented as an offer that solves their problem, a product that catapults them to their dream state, a service that is guaranteed to be world-class.
The gorilla won't eat your rubbish if that's all you offer it. It's already got enough plastic inside itself.
Tackle It Collaboratively
Identify the gorilla’s blind spots, then partner with others to exploit them. Shared insights, cross-functional strategies, and mutual value can unlock doors that solo efforts can’t. When smaller players align by bringing their strengths, reach, and ideas to the table, they become more than the sum of their parts.
The shift in mindset moves from survival to strategy. From competitors to co-creators. That’s how you multiply your force to become a larger, slightly more equitable opponent. By working with partners, you can multiply the impact you have to exploit that opportunity. Which, when you need to overcome a gorilla, is highly recommended.
The Lone Wolf Approach
Going it alone isn’t by itself wrong. It’s just a different game. Against a gorilla, it would seem like an impossible match. However, to succeed, lone businesses must carve out an identity so sharp that neither the market nor the gorilla can ignore them. They must also hold more advantages than if they had partners.
What are those advantages? A proven offer is a great start, but you will also need to be able to relentlessly innovate, be extremely adaptable, and have a laser-focused understanding of your customer.
The margin for error will be much thinner than if you were to join a group, but the payoff, if executed well, can be immense.
Craft Your Specialism to Weaponise a Niche
If 100 businesses each owned a specific strength, say product innovation, supply chain mastery, sales expertise and marketing prowess, the number of viable shots at the gorilla would multiply. The entire market dynamic would shift as you become better positioned to provide a greater value of impact and are more capable of delivering incredible value in a narrow field.
The more concentrated the focus, the higher the chance of penetrating through hardened skin barriers.
Don’t try to be everything to everyone. Identify a profitable niche, specialise your offerings, and build deep expertise to become the undisputed leader in that segment.
Your expertise is selected and sharpened with deadly precision.
Market Intelligence and Adaptability Are Non-Negotiable
Charging into the gorilla blindfolded is suicide. Instead, track the gorilla’s movements. Anticipate the shifts. Iterate quickly.
When businesses study trends, decode consumer behaviours, and adjust their business strategies in response or anticipation, they gain an edge over their competitors. Those who do so successfully will quickly understand what part of the body to strike, at what time and why, faster than other businesses seeking to do the same. Intelligence can be the deciding factor.
You may be fighting in the same battle, but you are acutely aware that your friend can quickly become your enemy as you both face a gorilla with secrets, waiting to be discovered.
Strong Leadership & Unified Vision Matter
One hundred isolated businesses won’t get far.
But a collective with shared purpose and coordinated leadership becomes a force.
Whether through alliances, joint ventures, or shared infrastructure, vision multiplies impact. Leadership transforms momentum into motion.
Strong leadership within a business and collaborative leadership within a market segment, providing a clear vision, fostering innovation, and driving coordinated action, can amplify the collective effectiveness of all players. Together and individually.
Intelligent Transformation
Perhaps there's something in our DNA. Our natural inclination is to look at this thought experiment as a conflict; the language used lends itself to that.
However, we are different creatures, and our objectives should exercise our highest faculties, for the benefit of others.
The goal then isn’t to defeat the gorilla. It’s to understand and overcome its defences; not to weaken or strike the heart, but to use your skills to help it grow stronger.
The smartest companies don’t kill the king.
They help him evolve.
How to Increase Website Traffic for Free
You’ve opened this article because you’re one of two people
You’re either a small business owner with visions of grandeur, but shallow pockets.
Or…
You’re a large business owner, but you don’t have a significant marketing budget.
Two different scales, the same problem - at least that’s what you think.
Now, you could also be a third.
This person is probably the most valuable out of the three.
You understand that marketing is integral to your success, but you know it shouldn’t cost a fortune.
A part of you knows that winning in business should never be a case of “he who spends the most on marketing, wins.”
I don’t think I’ll be pitching that to the TV corporations anytime soon.
Continuing Down the Wrong Path
Now, no matter which person you are, what happens if you don’t fix the problem of low online visibility?
Very simple - you get outpaced.
Your competition is but a dot, far out in front of you.
You look at your ever-shrinking balance sheet in a perpetual state of anxiety.
You wonder why, despite your ‘pioneering’ multi-functional, multi-modal, 10G-enabled, AI companion toothbrush buddy - your website traffic remains stagnant.
But, you’re hesitant to hire some bloated agency that promises to 10x your sales for the low, low price of £100,000 per ad. Understandably so.
You know there have to be easier, more affordable ways to achieve industrial notoriety.
The great news is that there are better ways to drive traffic to your website, without spending a penny. The only investment you need to make is your time.
Cost Effective Strategies
Here are three proven, free strategies you can implement immediately to increase your website traffic.
Post High-Quality Social Media Content
You may think the social media world is saturated. “How can I stand out?” you ask yourself.
I didn’t say the cheapest path would be the easiest.
The key? Post a variety of content styles. Visualise your idea in an infographic, record a video, provide a mix of storytelling, educational, and directional posts to enlighten your audience.
The secret? Post with a goal in mind. Don’t simply post for the sake of posting. To succeed in directing attention to your website, make sure every post has a clear path - just don’t be salesy or cheesy.
Start by identifying who you are talking to, then decide where you want to take them (your website). Design a series of posts to lead them there.
Action Steps:
Identify which social media platform your target audience uses the most.
Create a content calendar with a mix of engaging formats: video, infographics, stories, and educational content.
Ensure every post includes a call-to-action (CTA) that gently directs users to your website (e.g., “Check out the full guide on my website”).
This is precisely why copywriting is one of the most worthwhile skills in any business today.
Build Partnerships
Having trouble gaining traction? Why not work with those who have already laid the path you wish to follow?
Your best bet is to speak with accounts that are realistically similar in size to you. And importantly, you want to offer something before you ask for the collaboration.
Identify five businesses or influencers you’d like to collaborate with and offer them a few ideas for partnership. It could be a guest blog post, an Instagram takeover, or a joint webinar.
Action Steps:
Make a list of five businesses or influencers that have a similar audience to yours.
Reach out with a personalised offer that benefits them (e.g., “I noticed we both serve a similar audience. Would you be interested in a guest post or collaboration that offers value to both of our readers?”).
Consider joint ventures like co-hosting webinars or cross-promoting products through social media or email lists.
By collaborating, you expand your audience and leverage each other’s networks, driving traffic to your site.
Launch a Free Community
All too often, I hear “launch an email list, get them on your newsletter.”
Agreed. Once you’ve provided some small amount of free value - whether that’s a guide, a checklist, or an eBook - ask them to join your newsletter.
But before you do that, why not create a community that focuses on building connections with prospective and existing customers?
Capitalise on the innate human desire for community and amplify it with the interests that brought your audience to your door in the first place.
By creating a space where your audience can interact with both you and each other, you’ll not only foster engagement but also position your website as the go-to hub for your niche.
Action Steps:
Choose a platform to host your community (e.g., Facebook Groups, LinkedIn, or Discord).
Start by offering valuable content and discussion starters, and encourage members to engage with one another.
Promote the community through your website, social media, and newsletter. Encourage users to invite others who may benefit from the shared knowledge and discussions.
Creating this sense of community builds loyalty, keeps users engaged, and naturally drives traffic back to your website.
Conclusion
By following these three strategies - posting high-quality social content, building strategic partnerships, and launching a community - you can start driving traffic to your website today without spending a fortune.
The key is consistency and offering value at every step. Put in the reps, and you’ll soon see your traffic grow without draining your budget.
Done well, you should be setting the pace, looking behind you in pride, not chasing in anxiety behind.