---
title: "Innovate Smarter: Steal What Works"
id: "616"
type: "post"
slug: "innovate-smarter-steal-what-works"
published_at: "2026-01-09T16:02:46+00:00"
modified_at: "2026-01-05T22:24:13+00:00"
url: "https://yourbusinessgrowthplaybook.com/innovate-smarter-steal-what-works/"
markdown_url: "https://yourbusinessgrowthplaybook.com/innovate-smarter-steal-what-works.md"
excerpt: "Most founders try to innovate by creating something new. The smartest founders? They innovate by adapting what already works, somewhere else. In Your Business Growth Playbook, you’ll see this theme: don’t force breakthroughs; adapt winning ideas from outside your lane...."
taxonomy_category:
  - "Updates"
---

# Innovate Smarter: Steal What Works

Published

in

[Updates](https://yourbusinessgrowthplaybook.com/category/updates/)

Most founders try to innovate by creating something new.

The smartest founders?

They innovate by adapting what already works, somewhere else.

In *[Your Business Growth Playbook](https://yourbusinessgrowthplaybook.com/)*, you’ll see this theme: don’t force breakthroughs; adapt winning ideas from outside your lane.

Examples to steal from:

**Southwest Airlines**

Borrowed bus-route simplicity for the skies: short, point-to-point hops, one aircraft type, fast turnarounds. [Durable profitability](https://yourbusinessgrowthplaybook.com/profit-in-add-ons/)
 in a brutal category.

**Starbucks**

Schultz adapted Italian espresso bar rituals and wrapped them in an American “third place.” **He didn’t innovate caffeine; he innovated context.**

**Warby Parker**

Studied [Zappos](https://yourbusinessgrowthplaybook.com/loyalty-flywheel-prints-revenue/)
-style customer delight, try-at-home + online convenience, and applied it to glasses. Different product. Same playbook.

**From the Playbook**

A B2C e-commerce client created a VIP Membership, ala Zappos, for top customers. These [loyal customers](https://yourbusinessgrowthplaybook.com/ideal-customer-avatar-playbook/)
 were now locked in and became hyper buyers. Not a new product; a new lens.

Somewhere outside your industry, your next growth move already exists, wearing a different uniform.

## 🧠 Key Takeaway

If you’re plateaued, stop staring at competitors. Study outsiders: loyalty, efficiency, pricing, packaging. Ask, *“How would that work here?”*

The next big move rarely needs to be a breakthrough.

It’s a remix.

[Which company outside your industry has inspired one of your best ideas?](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7404922920441024512/)

## More posts

- ### [Permission Beats Pressure on LinkedIn](https://yourbusinessgrowthplaybook.com/permission-beats-pressure-on-linkedin/) [October 9, 2026](https://yourbusinessgrowthplaybook.com/permission-beats-pressure-on-linkedin/)
- ### [The Lyon Show: Break Through Your Growth Plateau Without Burning Out](https://yourbusinessgrowthplaybook.com/the-lyon-show-break-through-your-growth-plateau-without-burning-out/) [October 8, 2026](https://yourbusinessgrowthplaybook.com/the-lyon-show-break-through-your-growth-plateau-without-burning-out/)
- ### [Your Inbox Is Crowded. Try the Mailbox](https://yourbusinessgrowthplaybook.com/inbox-is-crowded-try-the-mailbox/) [October 7, 2026](https://yourbusinessgrowthplaybook.com/inbox-is-crowded-try-the-mailbox/)
- ### [The Sales Seat Founders Avoid with Derek Fredrickson](https://yourbusinessgrowthplaybook.com/s3e40-founder-led-sales-derek-fredrickson/) [October 6, 2026](https://yourbusinessgrowthplaybook.com/s3e40-founder-led-sales-derek-fredrickson/)