Small Business Knowledge Network w/ Jim Vogel: Blue Ocean Strategy: A Smarter Way to Grow Your Small Business

In today’s crowded marketplace, small businesses often struggle to stand out. Competing on price, features, or service alone usually means fighting in what the Blue Ocean Strategy calls “red oceans”, oversaturated markets filled with competitors battling for the same customers. But what if, instead of fighting harder, you found a way to sail into open water, a blue ocean, where competition becomes irrelevant?

The Blue Ocean Strategy, developed by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne, focuses on shifting the strategy from beating the competition to creating new demand. For small businesses, this means identifying unmet customer needs or combining existing ideas in fresh, surprising ways. It’s less about outspending competitors and more about outthinking them.

For instance, a local café might break away from the crowded coffee shop scene by hosting community workshops, offering subscription-based coffee deliveries, or partnering with local artists for creativity-themed nights. These innovations don’t just attract customers, they build loyalty and a brand story.

Implementing this approach starts with asking key questions: What can we eliminate that others take for granted? What frustrations do customers experience that we can solve differently? By exploring those answers, small business owners can uncover blue oceans of opportunity hidden within their own markets.

Instead of competing for space in someone else’s market, create your own. That’s how small businesses transform from surviving to thriving.

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This blog, about small businesses, is from Jim Vogel, Small Business Ambassador, Cornelius, NC.

Chair, Lake Norman Small Business Network

https://www.facebook.com/SmallBizKnowledgeNetwork

https://substack.com/@therespectedvoiceofsmallbusiness

smallbusinessknowledgenetwork@gmail.com

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704 800 6152

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The Small Business Knowledge Network is a division of I.M.U. Social Media LLC 

The information in this blog article is for informational purposes and is not presented for any other reason.

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