Have you talked business with some up and coming entrepreneurs lately? Why does everyone want to disrupt everything?
This is true, when you think of it:
- The largest popular media doesn’t provide any content
- The largest taxi company in the world doesn’t own a single car
- The biggest accommodations provider doesn’t own real estate
I am sure you are familiar with the three companies listed above. What did they do, they disrupted a well established industry. Disruption is good, it is even successful, VERY successful in the case of those three companies above and a few more.
Now is your business subject to disruption? Would it benefit from it?
I have a lot of people with growing businesses asking me what they could do to make it even bigger, grow faster be more efficient. Fact is, most of those businesses are already successful and following a growth track. Restaurants opening more locations: Do they have to change everything do a 180, and disrupt everything they have built so far to ensure the success of their third venue.
And here ladies and gentleman, the answer is NO.
First of all, disruption is not good for all businesses, and even more might not even be good for yours. Has anyone done what you are doing before? Have they succeeded? So why can’t we be innovative, at the helm of some new concept and start trends. Or is shaking up the whole industry, reinvent the wheel and make sure you inspire do the same thing as you do your goal?
Why does everyone want to disrupt everything that we got taught.
I will take an example from a Meme I can relate to. When I was growing up, my parents taught me a life lesson: Don’t get in the cars with strangers… A few years later, I remember that everyone started meeting “online” people in person… Don’t meet anyone from the internet alone… Ok… Fast forward a few years… UBER: And yes, you are getting in the car of someone you don’t know that you “met on the internet”. Ok I am kidding, there are background checks… But still when you think of it Uber, (#2 in our list above…) disrupted your mom!!!
Now the funny thing is that most of the people who will have those disruption ideas (a part from a few that have a proven track record) will want to disrupt everything after a few glasses of wine, shots of tequila, and their entrepreneur background consists in Cryptocurrency or as we are in California in the Cannabis industry. Am I making stereotypes, yes, is it all true… NO, but it was funny!
#1 was Facebook and #3 Airbnb. And yes those companies disrupted a lot of things for the better, but not everyone is Mark Zuckerberg or Brian Chesky…
Disruption VS Innovation VS Proven track record
There really is three ways of how things can be seen. And it’s like driving your car in the freeway. The Proven track record is you driving 65mph (That’s the speed limit in San Diego), innovation is the drivers driving between between 75mph and 80mph – please respect the speed limits – which is above the posted speed, but not fast enough for CHP (California Highway Patrol) to stop them most of the time. Disruption is the guy driving 110mph, ok It is thrilling, but there is a very good chance that you are going to end up burning your wings one way or another.
Innovation, you are taking a chance, it might work or it might not… Disruption will get you a slap in the face most of the time.
Obeying speed limits, respecting others make streets, highways safer. This is real life not my metaphor.
Disruption might be for you… but
The whole point of disruption is to find a niche, a loop hole that hasn’t been reached before. But like with every loophole, there is a time limit on it all until the major players tag along. This might not work with all industries but with most. I’m not expecting one of the guys I mentioned before to read my blog post… and if they do my linkedin network is more powerful than I thought. So back to our time constraint, the whole point behind it all is to exploit a loop hole until the mass follows up and gets back to you. So being nimble and making a lot of money while you can is the deal behind it all. It’s a great accelerator indeed, you can even get bought out by larger companies with very large capital.