Christopher Lochhead
Godfather of Category Design at Category Pirates / Play Bigger
13-time #1 bestselling co-author including Play Bigger and Niche Down; popular podcaster and co-creator of the Category Pirates Substack; three-time public company CMO; advisor to 50+ venture-backed startups; known as the Godfather of Category Design.
Dimension Profile
Key Themes
Episode Summary
Christopher Lochhead, the Godfather of Category Design and co-author of Play Bigger, makes the case that the most successful companies don't compete in existing categories but design entirely new ones. He explains the category design framework, why category kings capture the vast majority of category economics, and his 'niche down' strategy of dominating a specific space before expanding.
Leadership Principles
- → Now is the greatest time in history to be a creator, entrepreneur, or marketer — the future needs you
- → Category design is about creating new markets rather than competing in existing ones — category kings capture 76% of category economics
- → Niche down before scaling up — dominate a specific category before expanding
Notable Quotes
"If you are somebody for whom you want to make an exponential difference, you want to innovate, you want to create new value where there wasn't, you want to have a legendary career — now's the greatest time in history. The future needs you."
— On why the current moment is uniquely powerful for innovators
Want to know how you compare?
Take the Assessment