We could talk about how to be disruptive as people, but that would be another story. So I’m going to reveal a few techniques for helping us become a disruptive business. This part is the result of years working with different brands, companies, and personal projects. It’s been a hell of a ride experimenting, trying, failing, trying different and sometimes succeeding.
The takeaway always goes first (just in case): JUMP AT THE OPPORTUNITY YOU DON’T KNOW. This is how you will start creating a disruptive business model.
22 practical ideas on how to build a disruptive business
Here we go:
Idea 1
Once a month, get your staff (and yourself) to take their most successful action or strategy and complete this process with it.
Idea 2
Encourage (or even oblige) each director, staff, manager, supervisor, coordinator, even CEOs, to create something new at least every fortnight. Here I’m talking about a new peripheral service, a new policy that will benefit your customers, an idea for a product update, a product prototype, or redesigning your interaction with consumers. Once a month, take a look at all of these new proposals and ensure your company launches between 5 and 10 of the ideas developed.
Idea 3
What is your customer type? For each customer type, develop at least three different ways of adding value for each purchase or even each interaction.
Idea 4
Create a protocol to ensure the staff in your company establishes at least one warm and attentive brand-client relationship with at least ten customers/consumers.
Idea 5
Set up a useful ideas competition in line with your business objectives for the most unconventional, daring and – why not – utterly crazy idea. The winner earns a bonus, and the management ensures it will be launched by the creator and the three finalists.
Idea 6
Once a week surprise one of your regular customers with a reward, prize, or favor.
Idea 7
That’s the thing, once every two months ask your most committed customers a series of questions on how your products can be improved. Once you have decided on any changes, let them do an extra “product test” free of charge.
Idea 8
Once a week, approach customers who are no longer regular buyers and ask them how you can help them at no extra charge. Even without them needing to return as customers.
Idea 9
Every employee in your organization must commit to improving the results of their work at least once a week. This action could mean increased sales, higher customer service satisfaction, more requests handled, etc. It can be monitored using a dashboard.
Idea 10
Get each member of staff (on all levels) to take on a personal project. It may be sporting, professional, or with their partner. This will help the team to be a more disruptive business.
Idea 11
At least once every three weeks, each member of staff should take a small, insignificant step in improving the lives of their colleagues and customers. A list of (internal) actions that you can’t do but which others could take on for you, or include a new story to tell your customers (external).
Idea 12
Create a Business Model Canvas where each employee can add to and include how the terms “underpromise” and “overdeliver” develop and then go one step below in the first and a step higher in the second. Unexpected and genuine added value.
Idea 13
Put aside one day every six months to identifying where the weaknesses in your business are, and for each area of work do a little research to hire independent professionals or employees that can cover each of these areas.
Idea 14
Designate someone to be responsible for ultraproductivity in the company and gradually develop an ultraproductivity plan with each member of staff so that they end up working less, producing more and living better. This will have a considerably positive impact on the company and relationships with customers/consumers.
Idea 15
Design intensive courses every year to last between one and three days and including over 15 hours work, in which each employee exchanges roles with the colleague from the most different part possible. Then create a personal work plan so that each member gets to work on things they do not know, cannot or do not want to do. Meanwhile, back up the work with the material, dynamics, activations, and practices that bewilder participants, take them out of their comfort zone and push them to the limit.
Idea 16
Encourage, incite, and help your employees experiment with anything related to any of these four dimensions: physical, emotional, spiritual, or intellectual.
Idea 17
Become more responsible for deliberately working with restrictions: reduce advertising budgets but increase your lead generation goals, take an hour out of your working day but get 20% more done than before. Make your creative staff direct, and your directors invent. Eliminate the word “no” when attending customers, etc.
Idea 18
Create the following company policy – which applies to all of your employees: a project management system in which each employee has their space to note down each day at least one (professional) mistake made during the day. A solution is included to ensure that this error does not become an error. Then what is learned from it is shared with the rest of the organization to build up a knowledge base.
Idea 19
Include the following in your company policy: “anyone who complains more than once a day will be fired”.
Idea 20
Create an annual event in which customers and employees compete. This could be a race of Wacky Races, consisting of a jump into the sea from a platform in a device built by each team. They could dance the tango or in pairs, or cook a particular dish.
Idea 21
Aim to get involved in and cause as much havoc as you can, both on a personal and professional level.
Idea 22
Organize life experiences together with the staff and customers who have performed best throughout the year.
Being a disruptive business is within your grasp
How to be a disruptive business is merely a question of intent, work, creativity, and audacity. That’s about it.
Photo credit: Stand OUT Program.