Become a creative contrarian
April 21, 2021
By Jerry Bellune
What do Judy Wald, JD Powers and Fred Segal have in common? These 3 highly successful entrepreneurs were contrarians.
Contrarians are creative thinkers who turn accepted ideas on their heads to create highly successful products and services.
I discovered this creative trio, thanks to Bob Hagerty of The Wall Street Journal.
Judy Wald turned the talent agency business on its head by not charging the talent but the ad agencies that needed the talent. She charged larger fees to ad agencies.
JD Powers made a fortune by telling automakers what they did not want to hear: What their customers think of their cars.
This led to improvements in US automaking and he branched out into surveying customers of other products and selling his findings to those who made and sold them.
Fred Segal saw something in blue jeans no one else had: Jeans could be more than work pants. He took lighter-weight denim and turned it into hip-hugging fashion statements with rhinestones and other touches. Bob Dylan, the Beatles, and other celebrities became his best customers.
What’s the Big Business Breakthrough in their examples? What traditions in your business or industry could you turn on their heads and make your own fortune?
We share such field-tested ideas and strategies in our book “Million Dollar Strategies of Maverick Entrepreneurs.” For a copy email [email protected].
Next: Successful negotiation secrets
Copyright 2021, The Bellune Co., Inc.
