blue-ocean-strategy

Every business person should strive to swim in a blue ocean, but few do.  Most of us swim in a red ocean where the water is tainted with blood from relentless global competition.

<strong>Blue Ocean Strategy</strong> will help you chart a course toward uncontested market space (blue oceans) and break away from your competition.  This book—along with <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/19662165"><strong>Made to Stick</strong></a>—reached the top of my list of best business books I read in 2007.

The core strategy is to focus on making the competition irrelevant by creating a leap in value for buyers of your company's products and services.  Start by eliminating or reducing those activities that add little value when compared to industry standards.  This will free up resources to add higher value activities that your customers will pay a premium for.

One business example cited in the book is Cirque du Soleil.  It chose not to compete with the current standard in a shrinking circus industry, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey.  Instead, it made the competition irrelevant by targeting a different group of customers and offering a higher value experience.

While the book focuses on strategies that companies can employ to discover blue oceans, I found the techniques to be most beneficial as I focused on how I can position myself for blue ocean success in a competitive red ocean job market.

If you are frustrated by competing on price in a commodity business, consider reading <strong>Blue Ocean Strategy</strong> and discover new oceans that will allow you to expand your value proposition and break free of red ocean competition.

Access Gene Babon's reviews of books on <strong>Business Leadership</strong> and <strong>Business Strategy</strong> at <strong><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/webapprentices/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a>.</strong>