From Red Ocean to Blue: The Shift Leaders Make

Are you competing in a category that already exists, or are you creating a new one where you stand as the only real choice?

Most businesses instinctively enter a market and try to win against whoever is already there. That means better pricing, stronger service, faster delivery, and slicker marketing. However the reality is, when you are in an existing category, the competition is crowded. Everyone looks more or less the same, and customers often choose based on the smallest differences.

Now look at the alternative. Instead of wrestling in a packed ring, what if you create your own? Think of Apple when it launched the iPhone. It wasn’t just another phone. It created a whole new category of mobile computing. Tesla didn’t try to be a better car company in the traditional sense. It created the space for electric vehicles as aspirational lifestyle products. Starbucks? They weren’t selling coffee. They created a category called the “third place” between home and work.

When you are the category creator, you don’t compete on comparisons. You define the rules, set the value, and become the benchmark. Competitors may arrive later, but by then, you would have already shaped the narrative.

So, the strategic question is this: Are you spending your energy trying to be the best in an existing crowd, or are you carving a lane so distinct that you become the only natural choice?

Here is something to reflect on:

1. Are you being compared to others in your industry, or do people describe you in a way that feels unique?

2. Is your value clear only when stacked against competitors, or does it stand on its own?

3. Do customers find alternatives easily, or do they say, “there is nothing else like this”?

4. Are you building demand in an existing pool, or shaping demand for something entirely new?

Your Turn

What do you think? Are you in a red ocean or building your own blue one?

DM Indu Singhal on +97150-4567066 for a 30-minute free online consultation.