Ever feel like you're playing whack-a-mole with growth strategies? You’re not alone. Read a book, listen to a podcast, go to an event, hear a speaker. Everyone has THE way. And within industries, there is often THE way. I’ll bet when you created your first go-to-market motion, you just copied someone else. Don’t feel bad. I did too. And then in the next company, I did it again. Everyone does. We're often so entrenched in our own industry norms that we miss out on revolutionary ideas floating just outside our bubble. We’re stuck in echo chambers, recycling the same old strategies, and wondering why our growth feels like it’s on a hamster wheel.

Five companies and four exits later, there is one single lesson that stands out. One that I’ll rank as my most vital lesson. It might sound a bit crazy: Don’t look for lessons inside your industry. Look outside. Take what works in another, unrelated industry and apply it to yours. Yes, that’s right—cross-pollinate those ideas and watch the magic happen.

I discovered this by accident. Each successive company I built was in a different industry, completely unrelated. I tried the copy-paste go-to-market plan – it was a snoozefest. Mediocre at best. This makes sense because if everyone else is doing the same thing in the same way, it has to be average. As I moved industries, I knew nothing about the next one. Sometimes I knew less than nothing. So I used the toolkit I had – from another industry. It worked. By company three, I actually figured out that was what I was doing, and the more I did it and tested new ideas, the better it worked.

Imagine this:

You’re a B2B SaaS founder, knee-deep in dashboards and CRM solutions, when suddenly, a flash of inspiration hits you from an industry as unrelated as gourmet coffee shops. Sounds wild? Stick with me. This one small thing was the ultimate growth hack that’s kept my entrepreneurial journey not just afloat but thriving. It’s all about borrowing brilliance from one sector and sprinkling it on another like secret entrepreneurial fairy dust.

Now, let’s break it down. Here’s my 3-step framework to turn that hamster wheel into a jet engine:

Identify the Unlikely Muse

Look at industries that are thriving but vastly different from yours. What’s making them tick? Is it their customer service, their product design, their marketing tactics? Zero in on these standout practices. At least once a year, go to an event or trade show that is completely outside of your industry. Think creatively.

Adapt and Test

Take these best practices and tailor them to your business. Maybe it's a subscription model from a streaming service or the personalized experience from a boutique hotel. Implement these ideas in small, controlled experiments to see how they fit your market.

Iterate and Integrate

Not everything will be a perfect fit right away. Some never will. Be ready to tweak and adjust. Gather feedback, measure results, and refine these borrowed strategies until they seamlessly integrate into your business model.

Key Takeaway

Growth doesn’t always come from looking within; it comes from having the courage to look beyond. By cross-pollinating ideas from different industries, you’re not just following a trend—you’re creating one. It’s a recipe to stand out, and never settle for average.

Conclusion

So, next time you find yourself stuck, remember: the key to sustainable growth might just be hiding in plain sight—across the street, in a completely different industry. Step out of your comfort zone and dare to innovate by borrowing brilliance from the most unexpected places. The result? Transformative growth and a competitive edge that sets you apart from the rest.