Industries have certain common ways of operating.  
These practices usually have existed for so long that they are taken for granted and no longer questioned.  Tradition rules.

Sometimes, then comes along a newcomer who brings a new perspective and starts from ground zero.

Southwest Airlines.   That airline cut out standard practices like seat reservations and meals.  Freed from some of the burden of operating costs that their competitors were saddled with, they could approach the industry in a whole new light.

I saw an example of this when my wife and I were visiting our oldest son Brad down at Indiana University this past weekend.   The hotel we stayed at did not have a fitness room but gave me a free pass to a nearby health club.  When I saw the hours of the health club I was concerned.  The front desk at the hotel told me not to worry.  The pass key could get me into the health club 24 hours a day.

Now that’s a different idea for the health club industry! 
It takes care of a few major issues facing their business:

·         Staffing costs.  There is no additional staffing needed to keep it open.

·         Overcrowding.  Having longer hours can cut down some of the peak usage.

·         Membership.  More members can be attracted since they have more options to go off-peak and avoid the crowds.

A great book about looking at an industry is Blue Ocean Strategy.  Many examples are mentioned about how companies looked at industries in a different way to eliminate costs and attract new classes of customers into the business.

How about your industry? 
If you were a newcomer coming in to the business,
what could you eliminate and be able to operate very differently?