---
id: "quote-strategy-liability"
type: "quote"
source_timestamps: ["§ The 4S Framework"]
tags: ["financial-viability", "unit-economics"]
related: ["framework-4s", "prereq-unit-economics"]
speaker: "Das Narayandas"
speakers: ["Das Narayandas"]
sources: ["tail1"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-tail1"
originDay: 1
articleStem: "hbr-tail-117-middle-market"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2026/03/why-companies-dont-compete-in-the-middle-market"
sourceTitle: "Why Companies Don’t Compete in the Middle Market"
---
# Strategy vs. Liability

> "A strategy that delights customers but cannot survive financially isn't a strategy; it's a liability."
> — [[entity-das-narayandas]]

The rationale for the fourth S (Survive/Thrive) in the [[framework-4s]] and for the [[prereq-unit-economics]] prerequisite: delight without viable unit economics is a liability, not a strategy.