Wrestling with disrupting some businesses… I will not promote.

[u/jeyakatsa]

Hello everyone. I have a question, what would you do if you knew with absolute certainty, that your invention/innovation would disrupt other businesses and possibly put them out-of-business (whilst simultaneously drastically improving the lives of their customers)?

I’ve been wrangling with this because I’ve seen close family members businesses (even my own) fail and it brings me no pleasure inflicting this pain onto others.

Would love your thoughts.

[u/Turtle-Bongo-Pirate]

Isn’t that just exactly what business is? Coca Cola and Pepsi, McDonald’s and Burger King, etc.

Does McDonald’s sell fewer hamburgers because of Burger King and Shake Shack and Five Guys? Sure. Does it also grow the entire market for hamburgers? Yes.

And can all these companies operate (and be profitable) alongside each other? Also yes. They just need to differentiate.

If another business puts you out of business, you just weren’t different enough. And that can be products, service, location, pricing, branding, you name it.

[u/Illustrious-Pitch-49]

I think you are putting the cart before the horse here my friend, this is assuming you succeed which statistically you will not. If you become an emperor of a certain sector you can most likely pay for them all to retire anyways. Worry about your product and customers first before anything else.

[u/realImJustOmar → u/Illustrious-Pitch-49]

That last sentence is perfect 👌🏾 worry about your product and the market. That's it. Until your focus needs to be shifted or realigned after validation, then you need nothing else but to execute.

[u/seobrien]

You've just accurately described what makes a startup different from a new business, and why a new business isn't a startup.

The point is to change things.

The purpose of marketing and innovation is for everyone to keep up with change. If businesses don't do it, I don't see what your concern would be ... They can, and startups will keep changing things and putting things out of business if they don't keep up.

[u/Azerax]

If you’ve had this idea, chances are someone else has, and innovation is always disruptive.

[u/Maleficent-Ad9335]

If you can provide more description of your idea, we could give you more accurate response OP.

[u/Final_Awareness1855]

Disruption is the natural order of business and ultimately results in the greater good.

[u/IMOLEO]

Capitalism. That’s just the nature of the beast.

[u/Cultural-Salad-4583]

That’s how it goes.

I spent the last 10 years building a product to sell to an industry who absolutely hated how much money they stood to lose, but their customers loved it because of how much they saved.

We went to them and said “look, the industry’s changing. You can get on board and provide value to your customers, or they’ll leave you and find a different service provider who has their best interest in mind. What’ll it be?”

And wouldn’t you know it - some of them jumped on board. And they were the ones who got the lucrative contracts, the referrals, and experienced the growth.

[u/Common-Sense-9595]

I would have to say, that's what we do, we interupt, compete and make the industry better for the consumer. Is it really true you can do this? That would be amazing!

[u/B3ATBOX]

Businesses fail and we can always try again finding the gap in the market, Just how you’re saying that you found that gap. Everyone is disrupting one another's businesses today. The question is are you bringing something innovative and advanced to the market? that will push other businesses or your competitors to do better and move ahead with their technology as well. Then in that case it’s a very positive contribution to the industry and to your competitors. 

The market is expanding and is saturated, there is a shortage for more businesses. Especially in the tech business and there are millions of customers around. So you’re not stealing anything from any customers from businesses or competitors, you’re just catering to an expanding market.

[u/Raioc2436]

Can you name an invention that destroyed a business sector before?

[u/Turtle-Bongo-Pirate → u/Raioc2436]

Email destroyed the fax sector. Netflix etc. destroyed the VHS rental sector.

[u/Raioc2436 → u/Turtle-Bongo-Pirate]

I mean, did it really?

Every doctor in the United States still files faxes for compliance reasons.

Blockbuster had YEARS to adapt to Netflix and two acquisition opportunities.

Uber came and made some noise but 15 years later and the taxi industry is still here.

Point is, disruption doesn’t happen overnight. It takes years for an industry to die and even then it still has infinite ways to adapt and niche into other forms.

[u/Turtle-Bongo-Pirate → u/Raioc2436]

Fine, I suppose hardly anything ever completely disappears. Look at LP records, and even cassette tapes are still around. But lots of people did lose their jobs, retail units stood empty, and so on.

Neither OP nor anyone else was suggesting it happens overnight. I imagine it is easier to put a local hardware store out of business quickly simply by always undercutting them.

But if someone is scared to innovate because it might harm another business… if everyone had that mentality, the fax industry would still be going strong. And Nokia would still be the bestselling mobile phone brand.