Swimming In Red And Blue Oceans
The marketplace is an ocean. We are all part of a marine-like ecosystem that grows, consumes, flourishes, as the unseen forces of nature direct our economic paths. In this oceanic economy, there is red water and blue.
The red ocean is the marketplace where blood is in the water. It’s a feeding frenzy. The competition- driven by a militaristic nature to conquer- dive in, eating and devouring as much as they can, oftentimes being bloodied in the process. Everyone is fighting for market share, and the two prominent factors are cost and quality. The “sharks” want to drive the cost down and increase profits as much as possible while maintaining moderate quality standards. Some, desperate to have the highest profit margins, care not at all about quality. I sometimes partake in this feeding frenzy. As one of these sharks, I’m happy to swim with my mouth open, razor sharp teeth ready to rip into the prey of profit margins. I have no natural predators- on the cost or quality front- none other can match my cost for the quality that we provide. It’s that frenzied environment that I have been bitten, and not just once.
There is another ocean that I seek- the blue ocean. That is the ocean where competition is irrelevant, where my value innovation is the differentiating factor between me and all others. It is here where I stretch out my fins and tail and swim in deep, aquatic currents of success. While others sell based on price and costs, we have innovative, value added solutions that are just simply not offered elsewhere. This blue ocean I swim in is one where I have no competition, rather I have a whole new marketplace in which to thrive in. When the waters get bloody, I am constantly looking for the deep stream currents that take me back to the blue ocean.
I’m not one for conformity to mediocre standards. That’s the red ocean. I want to revolutionize, to obsessively innovate and discover new ways to add value. That’s the blue ocean- one where a marketplace is created, rather than bombarded. Don’t get me wrong, I will hunt in the red ocean, but the blue ocean constantly calls my name.
Legacy is created where the blue ocean currents run wild and free; and it is among that mold-breaking, wild freedom, where creativity knows no bounds, where visionaries find peace, that I belong.

