In business, it’s easy to look for growth where it’s always been. Core products. Loyal customers. Proven channels. But what happens when those well-worn paths stop delivering?
Sometimes, the most promising growth doesn’t come from scaling what you’ve already mastered. It comes from shifting your gaze to the overlooked, the unconventional, the unexpected.
The trap of familiar success
Success can create blind spots. What worked before becomes the default. That’s natural. But it can also trap you in a loop of incremental thinking – especially dangerous in a fast-moving world.
Markets evolve. Customers evolve. So must our curiosity.
Where the unusual lives
Unusual places aren’t always far away. Often, they’re just underexplored.
- Customer complaints can surface hidden opportunities.
- Usage might point to unmet demand.
- Employee side projects sometimes reveal future product lines.
- Small, scrappy competitors might be testing the waters of tomorrow’s trends.
- Adjacent industries often hold patterns worth borrowing.
Growth can hide in inefficiencies. In friction. In anomalies. All it takes is a shift in lens.
The power of asking different questions
Instead of ‘How do we get more of what we already have?’, try:
- What are we assuming that no longer holds true?
- Who’s using our product in a way we didn’t expect?
- What pain points are we too close to see?
- If we were starting from scratch today, what would we do differently?
New answers live in new questions.
Culture eats strategy (again)
Finding unusual growth starts with culture. One that values exploration over certainty. One that rewards curiosity as much as efficiency.
Encourage your team to colour outside the lines. Celebrate experiments – even failed ones. Build systems where new ideas can breathe before they have to prove ROI.
This isn’t about chasing every shiny object. It’s about building the agility to spot the right ones, early.
Zoom out to see more
Sometimes growth isn’t hidden – it’s just out of frame. Step back. Map your ecosystem. Who’s influencing your customers in unexpected ways? What macro shifts are creating ripple effects in your industry?
Pattern recognition is easier when you widen your perspective.
In closing
The next chapter of growth might not look like the last one. That’s not a threat. It’s an invitation.
Look again. Look differently. Look where others aren’t. Growth loves to surprise the ones paying attention.
Uncomfortable looking for growth in unusual places and want support to turn business unusual into business as usual? Let’s have a conversation.
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