Rattle & Pedal (B2B Marketing)

Navigating the “Where to Play” Paradox: How Firms Decide Where to Grow Next

In this episode of Rattle and Pedal, hosts Jason Malicki and Jeff McKay explore the "Where to Play" paradox—how professional‑services firms decide which new markets or adjacencies to pursue. They identify drivers such as AI disruption, regulatory shifts, partner changes, and commoditization of core capabilities, and outline four critical dimensions for evaluating expansion: growth opportunity, risk profile, capability fit (including sales, marketing, and innovation), and brand relevance. The conversation highlights common pitfalls, like over‑weighting opportunity and capability while neglecting investment appetite, risk, and brand fit, and offers a framework to assess these factors before committing resources.