Better and Faster

What if the key to success isn't playing it safe, but thinking like a hunter—relentless, adaptable, and always ready to seize opportunity?

1. Avoid Complacency at All Costs

Businesses often fail because they become satisfied with past achievements and stop changing. This complacency trap is one of the major reasons organizations crumble in dynamic industries. Leaders often get too comfortable, believing they can retain their status without adapting.

Smith Corona is a cautionary example. Once a giant in the typewriter market, the company refused to shift its focus to computers. They even ended a partnership with Acer, betting that typewriters would remain relevant. Just three years later, they declared bankruptcy, crushed by the computer revolution.

Another example is Kodak. Despite being a major player in analog film, their reluctance to embrace digital photography proved disastrous. They held on to their analog dominance too tightly and filed for bankruptcy in 2012, as digital cameras overtook the market.

Examples

• Smith Corona stuck with typewriters while ignoring computers.
• Blockbuster ignored streaming trends to focus on video rentals.
• Kodak clung to film when digital cameras became popular.

2. Be Insatiable and Always Hunt for New Opportunities

To thrive in a turbulent market, businesses must embrace hunger—an incessant drive to explore and innovate. This "hunter-like" instinct can keep a company ahead of trends and competitors.

Take Capital One Bank, which, after the 2008 financial crisis, poured resources into experimenting. Unlike most banks, they didn’t stagnate. Through risk assessment innovation, Capital One built a billion-dollar portfolio of low-risk assets while competitors struggled with massive losses.

Another inspiring example is Netflix, which transitioned from mailing DVDs to becoming the global giant of streaming. Their insatiability to try new formats has made them a leader in entertainment.

Examples

• Capital One's pivot to experimentation post-crisis.
• Netflix's successful evolution from DVD shipping to streaming.
• Amazon investing in constant innovation, such as logistics and AI.

3. Creativity Thrives with Curiosity

Success is often born from exploring the unfamiliar. Instead of repeating old solutions, curiosity compels businesses to combine unrelated ideas and create something entirely fresh.

Ron Finley is a perfect example. By observing his South Los Angeles community, he turned empty lots into urban gardens. His curiosity inspired him to integrate food, health, and social outreach into a new, impactful model.

Start-ups like Airbnb thrive this way too. By questioning the entrenched hotel model, they turned people’s unused homes into profitable lodging—upending an industry through inspired thinking.

Examples

• Ron Finley combining urban gardening and community uplift.
• Airbnb morphing everyday homes into tourist accommodations.
• Tesla merging electric cars with software-driven innovation.

4. To Succeed, Embrace Destruction

Sometimes, progress means destroying what’s familiar. This hunter mentality requires businesses to let go of old practices to make room for innovation.

Chef Eric Ripert at Le Bernardin demonstrates this approach. To maintain the restaurant’s three-star Michelin rating, he continually revises his menu from scratch, discarding popular staples to experiment with bold flavors.

Red Bull used this strategy too. Their success wasn’t in creating a great-tasting drink but in inventing a marketing narrative that made "bad taste" a trivial concern. They willing destroyed traditional advertising strategies to focus on extreme sports and events.

Examples

• Chef Ripert's constant reinvention of menus.
• Red Bull owning their bold, edgy brand despite poor taste.
• Apple discontinuing headphone jacks to drive AirPod sales.

5. Mix Ideas to Create Unique Products (Convergence)

Some of the best innovations come by combining trends in unexpected ways. This practice, called "convergence," can give businesses access to entirely new opportunities.

A compelling example is the mobile fitness app "Zombies, Run!," which merges GPS, gamification, and the zombie trend to turn ordinary jogs into thrilling adventures. This blend of technologies reshaped the way users approached exercise.

GoPro also succeeded this way by packaging high-quality cameras with a mission to inspire adventure, connecting consumers emotionally to the product's purpose.

Examples

• "Zombies, Run!" combining fitness and gaming.
• GoPro's focus on simplicity for thrill-seekers.
• Starbucks merging coffee with experience, creating "third spaces."

6. Turn Weaknesses into Strength (Divergence)

Standing out doesn’t require perfection. Instead, businesses succeed by celebrating traits they initially considered flaws. Diverging from the mainstream can attract attention and differentiate products.

No company captures this better than Red Bull. Instead of apologizing for its weird flavor, they marketed the drink as an energy booster and relied on edgy campaigns that made it relatable and even aspirational.

Volvo also leaned into divergence. By owning their cars’ boxy look with the slogan, “They’re boxy but they’re good,” Volvo garnered trust as a safe and reliable brand.

Examples

• Red Bull focusing on its energy image, not taste.
• Volvo emphasizing safety over sleek designs.
• Crocs leaning into their quirky, ugly-comfortable appeal.

7. Harness Nostalgia and Cyclicality

History often repeats itself, and companies that predict these cycles can capitalize on them by aligning products with consumer emotions tied to nostalgia or retro trends.

Instagram nailed this concept by enhancing smartphone photos with vintage-like filters, tapping into the timeless charm of old photographs. Users fell in love, making Instagram a billion-dollar social media platform.

Fashion brands consistently succeed by resurrecting old trends. Consider how 1980s styles recently returned, from bomber jackets to neon colors, generating massive sales.

Examples

• Instagram’s filters evoking a retro feel.
• Hollywood rebooting classic movies like Jurassic Park.
• Vinyl record manufacturing making a nostalgic resurgence.

8. Simplify to Find Your Market (Reduction)

Sometimes less really is more. Simplifying an idea can reveal its true value and attract niche audiences eager for clarity.

The GoPro camera exhibits this perfectly. By removing confusing features and opting for wide-angle simplicity, the camera appealed directly to extreme sports enthusiasts.

The fast-food industry has also embraced reduction. Five Guys, for example, became successful by simplifying menus to focus on burgers and fries, avoiding the clutter found in larger chains.

Examples

• GoPro’s simplified, action-focused camera design.
• Five Guys eliminating overly complex food menus.
• iPad’s streamlined interface compared to traditional laptops.

9. Perfect and Amplify What’s Working (Acceleration)

When a product shows promise, doubling down on its strengths and improving what works can have fantastic results. This "acceleration" changes decent products into dominant ones.

Dyson succeeded by making vacuum cleaners significantly stronger and more efficient. The company distinguished itself by transforming an ordinary household item into a luxury product.

Tesla is another example. They amplified their electric vehicles by adding features that redefined the driving experience, such as self-driving software and ultra-long battery life.

Examples

• Dyson refining vacuums to perfection.
• Tesla creating premium electric cars with cutting-edge tech.
• Bose advancing noise-cancellation technology for headphones.

Takeaways

1. Identify patterns in your industry—such as nostalgia, convergence, or divergence—and use them to rethink your approach.
2. Regularly question what’s familiar. Sometimes, destroying old systems is necessary to innovate.
3. Simplicity sells. Consider where clutter can be removed from products or services to streamline the user's experience.