Your most successful business rivals are likely gathering information about the most prominent competitors in your industry, and executing strategies to stay on top of the game. They probably are also scanning the horizon for new threats. Where is your company in this matrix? Is it an upstart or a successful small business? One of those on the horizon? Or is it one that's well established in the industry?



No matter where your company is vis-a-vis your competitors, you cannot afford to fight blindly for position. The fight starts with knowing who your competitors are (do you really know?), then learning about their culture, finances, leadership, plans and programs, and existing and emerging product lines; and then sizing up your company alongside them.



Researching business rivals—what they are doing or plan to do to outflank you and gain a competitive advantage—requires an intelligence officer’s mindset, curiosity and skills. Inquesta staff have decades of experience as business strategists, federal intelligence officers, and with F.B.I. counterintelligence.