A Client Stampede Secret: Blur The Lines Of The Market You’re In

“Think outside the box, collapse the box, and take a fu$king sharp knife to it.”
― Banksy, All & Pierce

One of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen when consulting, particularly with Fortune 500 companies, is that most business leaders miss the big opportunity under their nose because they’re thinking too narrowly of their market.

Coke and Pepsi did this when Red Bull blindsided them. They didn’t perceive Red Bull as a risk to their carbonated beverage category because their own research had put them neatly in a different box as a stimulant, and so belonged with the coffee category.

This situation happens a lot more often than you would think - people failing to see the real competitors coming down the line because they look a bit different.

Look at AirBNB. They became the largest hotelier without owning any hotels. Uber became the largest transport company without owning any vehicles. Facebook became the largest media platform without any writers, and Amazon has morphed into the largest global retailer without owning any actual bricks and mortar stores.

Moral of the story: be careful not to focus too closely on your competitors and miss the real disruptors to your target market.