Everyone was focused on being the fastest. So Jason decided to move in a different direction, building products that focused on reach. He and his team started designing products with longer reaches, bigger antennas. Their first product was a range extender. As they worked away, four guys in a 1,square-foot home, they pursued their mission further, expanding into routers all pointed at extending the reach of Wi-Fi.
They found a Taiwanese manufacturer to build their designs and set up meetings with electronics distributors to open up distribution. They picked up press coverage and, after a successful first year, launched 10 new products the second year.
They continually aimed at a need that competitors were not emphasizing: reach not speed. It was a strategy they felt would work because homes in the United States are spacious, making Wi-Fi reach a characteristic buyers cared about, and because they knew the competition had chosen not to emphasize meeting this need.
Today, while doubling their growth every year, they show the power of building a business that zags where others zig. They show that your competition wants to stop thinking, that they feel it is safer to compete on attributes the industry thinks are most important. And that herd mentality creates an opportunity for the Outthinker willing to choose a different path. AWS Deloitte Genpact. Events Innovation Festival. The pricing changes a bit.
The look of the photographs changes a bit. The packages change a bit — maybe an extra hour of time or a different sized image. Nothing was different. Nothing said wow. Instantly we jumped up an entire level over every other photographer a potential client was considering. When you set out in this world, chances are you zigged. You went to school, took tests, went to college or trade school , got a job, worked to pay the bills, lived the American dream. The plan was set out way before you were born.
Everyone around you has a job. And everyone around you struggles. What if you zagged and started your own business? Yet you have no appreciation and the monthly payments are a struggle each month.
Not to mention what happens when the water heater goes out or you need a new roof. What if you zagged and rented in the city instead?
New clothes, new furniture, a new car. You love watching for the best sales in all of your favorite locations. Yet how much satisfaction is that truly bringing you? What if you simplified and minimized? What if you quit spending and actually decreased your consumption habits while everyone around you kept theirs at the same level?
What could you do instead? Would zagging open up a whole new world for you? Would zagging open up your eyes to potential? Would you be able to see what you truly want to do in an entirely different way? Lori Osterberg is a writer, photographer, serial entrepreneur and business coach. Chicago Cabbie capitalizes on the popularity of social media. The Tamale Guy operates on the principle that scarcity creates demand. For example:. Ultimately, successful zigging means doing something about something people care about.
Amazon figured out people would rather shop with a mouse in the house, and the Dollar Shave Club understands that paying an arm and a leg for razors is a slap in the face. Where is the opportunity to zig in your business? Adding Light into the Dark. Halloween Roundup for Small Business Small Business Shutdowns and the Great Consolidation. Mental Health Support in the Workplace — Part 1. Boundaries for Sanity and Success. Hiring Horror Stories.
Scarcity Mindset and Mean Girls in Management. This blog features Carol Roth's tough love on business and entrepreneurship, as well as insights from Carol's community of contributors.
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