Around the summer of 2022, I began playing Pokémon cards. I’d always enjoyed games such as chess, backgammon and mahjong. They clicked with my strategic mindset. Pokémon cards are similar — they require the player to think and in the here-and-now and long term; to act and respond tactically, strategically and competitively.

My Pokémon experiences have provided me with the following 9 strategic lessons you can apply in business.

First though, a quick note about the game for anyone reading who isn’t familiar with Pokémon cards. Each player has 60 cards in their deck. Each card names specific Pokémon characteristics such as type, strengths, weaknesses, abilities. Each player must attempt to knock out the opposing player’s card by drawing a card containing better specific qualities. The aim is to take all 6 of the opposing player’s prize cards from their deck of 60. It’s a game of bluff and strategy.

Now, on with those 9 lessons.

1. You don’t always know when you’re being overconfident

I went from online playing to joining a league of physical card players and then participating in a major tournament in 2023. I may have been a bit overconfident, thinking I could come out on top when facing some of the country’s top players. In the end, I lost three games in a row and, overall, came 27th out of the 33 players taking part.

It was a harsh but necessary lesson. With hindsight, I realised how under-prepared I’d really been. This is something I see all too frequently when coaching businesses. Owners and entrepreneurs think they’ve done enough when in fact their preparation has been insufficient. My first Pokémon experience reminded me that overconfident thinking is an ever-present risk.

2. Recovery requires smaller steps

After my major tournament disappointment, I re-engaged with Pokémon by taking on smaller, local challenges.

Typically, these involved 16 players, many of whom expressed no desire to compete more extensively. This less-pressurised environment gave me the space I needed to rebuild my confidence.

Again, in business, when you take a knock-back, don’t attempt to leap back in at the same point but step back and try and gain some perspective, then take considered and measured steps forward.

In Pokémon, you manage momentum, shifting your strategy to making smaller, incremental decisions when things are tough and victory appears unattainable.

3. Take stock, reset and seek expert trusted coaching support

Time and again, you need to remind yourself that you don’t have to do it on your own. I see this me-against-the-world mentality a lot in business.

In the world of Pokémon, I had to take stock of my performance and be honest with myself. By 2024 I was feeling frustrated because I kept losing to players I thought I was the equal of, it not better. I felt my performance didn’t match my ability.

To play to a consistently higher standard, my game needed to improve. I needed proper coaching support. I gained this by joining a coaching group run by the celebrated Norwegian Pokéman champion, Tord Reklev.

Resetting after a loss is vital in Pokémon and in business. Clear your mind and focus on next time.

4. Understand how top performers think

Coaching taught me how the best performing Pokémon players think and how they engage with the game.

In business, how you approach things from the outset is vital in establishing your mindset and how you strategise subsequently.

This isn’t about taking on board some over-simplified “best habits of entrepreneurs” type advice. It’s about understanding how the system works, and where you fit in, before you decide how you can best engage with it.

5. Consistency and being counter-intuitive go together

When I first attended the Birmingham Regional, I finished 282nd out of 2,344 players.

I learnt the importance of consistency — finding a deck of Pokémon cards with which I could play consistently and develop my skills. But I also found a way of playing that was counter-intuitive to my normal, more aggressive playing style.

The slower-paced mega box deck I started to use gave me the necessary structure and boundaries to improve my game.

In business, you don’t want your opponent’s actions to be too distracting. Structure provides focus and helps with better decision-making than going with your natural instincts of acting rapidly and meeting obstacles head-on.

6. Know the market and your competitors

What’s your opponent doing across the table from you? You always need to be asking yourself this in Pokémon. A top player learns to recognise their opponent’s strategy and capabilities.

Insightful competitor analysis and solid market research are similar in this respect, and continuous learning is essential to both Pokémon and business — you cannot rest on your laurels and assume you know everything there is to know.

Understanding should be progressive, to ensure we keep up with the changes happening around us.

7. Subtle strategic changes can have big consequences

When I make a small change in my Pokémon card deck, replacing one type of card with another say, this can alter how the entire deck performs.

The same applies to your business strategy. Such changes are also how you make a strategy your own, rather than a textbook approach or something you’ve simply learnt from someone else.

This fine-tuning of strategy is critical to success.

8. Lessons come from outcomes

You can’t measure the success of any strategy until you put it into play. The outcome is a lesson.

I try to choose the best action open to me based on the information available at the time. Whether this works will depend on what happens next.

The best we can ever do is act in an informed way and when the market responds, learn from it. The market reflects the soundness of our decisions.

9. Collaborate and learn

You’re not alone, even if it sometimes feels like you are.

My immediate Pokémon community has been invaluable in helping me develop my confidence and skills as a player.

Sharing of ideas, non-judgemental discussions and trust are all essential. Obviously, as a business owner, founder or entrepreneur, you benefit enormously from all these things, wherever this support comes from.

Winning the game

Improving in Pokémon is compatible with doing the same in business. To win, you must first learn, and this includes learning from your mistakes and bouncing back from them. It requires resilience and being open to new experiences.

Contact me today for more details about how I can help you.