Business strategy game guide
How to think like a CEO in CEO LAB — the free browser business simulation where you compete against five AI rivals.
What kind of business strategy game is CEO LAB?
You run NOVA Appliances, a European robotic vacuum maker, for 12 quarters against five AI competitors: Volt (cost leader), Apex (premium), Orion (balanced), Zenith (low-cost follower) and KAI Robotics (challenger).
Every quarter follows the same loop: study the market, set your decisions, watch rivals react, then read the results. The engine is deterministic — the same seed and the same decisions always give the same outcome — so you can replay and learn.
Pricing: pick a segment, not just a number
Buyers fall into value, balanced and premium segments. Each one weighs price, quality and brand differently. A low price wins value buyers but squeezes margin; a high price only works if quality and brand back it up.
Compare your price with rivals on the Competitors screen. Small, steady price moves are safer than big jumps, because rivals respond.
Production capacity: avoid empty shelves and full warehouses
Production can never exceed factory capacity. Use the demand forecast range to plan: produce near the middle of the range, and keep some stock for guaranteed reseller offers, which are served before regular sales.
Capacity investment also modernises the factory and reduces defects, but it takes cash today for gains tomorrow.
Quality, defects and quality control
Defects that slip through hurt brand and perceived quality. Quality control spending catches defects before they ship; a modern factory lets you spend less on it. Balance both instead of maxing one.
Marketing, sales team and R&D
Advertising grows brand, and each product can have its own positioning, advertising and R&D budget. Salespeople each serve a limited number of customers; training raises their skill so the same team wins more buyers.
NOVA Pro is a multi-quarter project: design its features, fund it in stages, and decide whether to launch early from 50% progress (lower quality) or wait for 100%.
Cash, payment terms and the board
Running out of cash triggers credit-line interest. Longer payment terms (from Q5) attract more buyers but delay cash. Purchased market reports arrive the following quarter — buy them before big decisions.
The board watches profit, market share, cash and debt. Repeated losses lead to warnings. If you ask for a capital increase, answer the board's questions with a clear plan — and then deliver on it.
Five quick tips to win
1) Choose a clear position early. 2) Never let cash drop near zero. 3) Grow capacity ahead of demand, not after. 4) Invest steadily in brand and sales training. 5) Use reports before launching NOVA Pro.