Behind the scenes

People often ask how we came up with the grid. The short answer: blood, sweat and years.

More research than we ever want to do again

It turns out that identifying all the factors that make or break a business is quite a research project. The good news is that we consulted the subject matter experts, read 192 reference texts and took 347,000 words of notes so you don’t have to.
Eighty-second time lucky

We could probably have stopped working on the grid around version forty, but we had a nagging feeling another level of simplicity and elegance was possible. It was another year, and another forty-two iterations later that we found it.
The writing process

People often ask what it’s like to write a book, then often wish they hadn’t. We had our fair share of set-backs on the way but we’re immensely proud of the result, and that’s what matters most.

A book deal with Penguin Random House is a dream come true for any writer.
Before switching to a database, everything was meticulously documented by hand — a terrible idea!
Early ideas are always a complete mess.
A small selection of the 200-ish books we read as research.
Content items for each chapter coming together.
A daily reminder of what’s important.
Jan 31st 2017 in London — the look of relief after finally submitting the manuscript.
Midnight In Belgium — going through the proofs one more time.
At home in California — seeing the finished article for the first time.
Ben’s copy arrives in Brooklyn — a proud moment.

Set your organization up to succeed by going straight to the source with our grid workshops and consultancy services.