About John Rougeux

The reason I started Flag & Frontier is simple: I believe great ideas deserve a lasting place in the world, and I want to do everything I can to make that happen. I’ve devoted my career to doing just that. And my focus has been on helping CEOs unlock new possibilities for growth by applying category design across the organization.
Through my consulting services and resources, such as The Newcomer’s Guide to Category Design and my newsletter, I have helped hundreds of category designers gain a deeper understanding of how to execute this strategy.
Here are some highlights from my work:
BlockSpaces
BombBomb
I led BombBomb’s category design efforts and helped transform the company from a “video email tool” to a “human-centered communication” platform. Through our category design process, we outlined new concepts in our Wall Street Journal bestseller, Human-Centered Communication: A Business Case Against Digital Pollution, and transformed the way our customers think about digital communication through a thought-provoking documentary, Dear {first_name}.
Skyfii
I helped transform this publicly-traded company from being perceived as a commodity “Wi-Fi analytics” offering to the leader of a new category we called “omnidata intelligence.” Using category design principles, I led the development of a new category POV that helped accelerate the sales cycle, expand deal size, and give investors the confidence needed to approve strategic acquisitions. We increased ARR by 72% (from FY18 to FY19) and were recognized as a Deloitte Technology Fast 500â„¢ company.
When I’m Not at Work…
I’ve lived a bunch of places, but I currently live in Colorado Springs, Co. It’s the perfect place to pursue friluftsliv (or getting outdoors to restore your health).
My lovely wife and I have four daughters. And yes, that was on purpose! Don’t ask me their ages though, because I’ll probably get them wrong.
I will sign up for any trip that involves the outdoors or traveling to another country (ask me about the time I visited a vodou temple in rural Haiti, or why I’ve been in more auto accidents in Tanzania than at home). Other things I love include Jesus, Rush, trail running, mountain biking, skiing, and Lapsang Souchong tea (it tastes as weird as it sounds).
You also probably don’t know that I once hiked the entire 2,000+ mile Appalachian Trail, I survived an Ironman Triathlon (barely), or that I have two middle names (I still can’t pronounce one of them).