Why “New” Doesn’t Always Win

Originality is one of the most misunderstood concepts in business.

Many entrepreneurs assume they need to create something completely new to succeed – fueled by a common myth: if the idea already exists, it’s harder to make money.

That belief often leads them to add unnecessary complexity in the name of innovation. And instead of gaining traction, they end up stuck in a cycle of overthinking, overspending, and eventually burning out.

In this video, I share three ways successful entrepreneurs grab attention in crowded markets and make money by using old ideas.

Here’s what today’s entrepreneurs need to understand:

Most profitable businesses aren’t built on invention. They’re built on iteration – thoughtful improvements, strategic adaptations, and meaningful refinements of what already works.

The most successful founders weren’t always the first to market. They were the ones who recognized existing demand and delivered something better, clearer, or more aligned.

Let’s break down three ways to build a profitable, standout business (without starting from scratch).

1. Reimagine: Differentiate with Voice and Vision

Reimagining is about standing out by showing up differently.

You’re not changing the core offer, you’re transforming how it connects. By adding your personality, perspective, or philosophy, you shift the experience without altering the product’s function.

This approach works especially well in saturated markets, where the product is proven but the positioning is stale.

Example:

Planners, journals, and habit trackers are everywhere. But when a creator reframes a planner as a tool for neurodivergent entrepreneurs – integrating mindset prompts, low-pressure layouts, and real-world messiness – it stops being “just another planner.” It becomes a lifeline for a specific group that hasn’t felt seen.

Your uniqueness, a.k.a. your ‘secret sauce,’ becomes the differentiator.

The magic of reimagining lies in nuance. It’s not about shouting louder. It’s about resonating deeper with the people who need you, not just your offer.

2. Remodel: Apply a Working Model to a New Market

Remodeling is about applying what already works in a different context.

You start with a proven framework, offer type, or delivery model, then adapt it for a new audience with different needs, language, and buying triggers. The structure stays the same, but the positioning shifts.

Example:

A messaging coach might have a proven process for helping startup founders pitch to investors. That same framework can be remodeled for wellness coaches or therapists, groups who struggle with clearly articulating their value but speak an entirely different language. The core offer doesn’t change, but the framing and use cases do.

This approach allows you to build on existing results while expanding into a new, aligned audience.

Empathy becomes your edge. The more fluently you can speak your audience’s language, the more effectively you can make a familiar solution feel like it was built just for them.

3. Refine: Improve What Already Exists

Refining is the quiet powerhouse of innovation.

Instead of building something new or serving a new market, you look at what’s already working and make it better. That might mean simplifying the process, removing friction, clarifying the message, or solving a problem your competitors haven’t noticed.

It’s less about creating and more about improving.

Example:

Let’s say you notice that a popular online course has great content but a clunky user experience. You rebuild a version that teaches the same core skill, but with a cleaner interface, shorter videos, and faster wins. The curriculum isn’t radically different – it’s just easier to follow, more engaging to complete, and built with the user in mind.

Refining works best when customers already want the outcome – they just need a better way to get there.

Why These Approaches Work

Instead of starting from scratch, these strategies give you a head start by tapping into demand that already exists.

So, you’re not trying to convince people to care about something new. Instead, you’re helping them access something familiar in a way that feels uniquely aligned with their needs, in a form they haven’t seen before.

While no strategy is risk-free, these approaches reduce the guesswork because you skip proving whether the idea works and focus on how to make it better, more relevant, or easier to adopt.

Deciding The Best Strategy For You

These strategies let you lead with your strengths. Whether your edge is creativity, clarity, empathy, or execution, each one offers a path to bring something to market that feels original, without needing to create a product out of thin air.

But, if you’re still debating whether you should follow any of these three strategies or invent something new, consider this:

First to market doesn’t always mean first to profit – it often means first to failure. Some of the most impactful products of our time weren’t the first of their kind.

Steve Jobs didn’t invent the MP3 player. Henry Ford didn’t invent the car. And, I didn’t invent product launches. We all took something that already existed, that people actually wanted, and strategically made it better.

As always, I’d love to hear from you. If you have follow-up questions or want to share your own experience, leave a comment below and let me know what you think!

—

Video Transcription:

Hey, it's Jeff Walker. Let's talk about starting something new.

So I just heard this quote recently and it was, “if you want to know who the pioneers are in any given market, look for the people who are lying face down in the dirt with a bunch of arrows in their back.”

In other words this idea that it's very, very risky coming out with something brand new, coming up with this completely new idea.

And I look back at the success I've had over the years and it's usually not from something completely brand new. It's from iterating on something that's already in the market and really focusing on what's selling, what do people want instead of coming up with in my mind with, like, oh I got this great idea that I want to sell people.

I want to look and see what people are already buying and how I can create that for them. How can I create it better? How can I create a better experience? How can I bring my special sauce, my secret sauce? Like, the thing that makes me, me – that allows me to present something in a different fashion, in a different way, that will really resonate with people.  

I think that's how you have success in this world – in our world – is you look at something that's already successful, already selling, maybe even look at the marketing and how it's sold, and then you bring your authenticity to it. 

You can take a look at some of what's what's – the best of what's in the market – and then bring you to it. And present it in your best fashion.

Now, a lot of times when I'm talking about this, people are like “Well you know, Steve Jobs said that I have no interest in asking people what they want because they don't know what they want. And I want to create something brand new.” Or there's a famous quote by Henry Ford. I'm not going to get this right I'm sure. It's not gonna be perfectly right but it's gonna be pretty close and he said that if I'd asked people what they wanted they would have told me faster horsedrawn carriages.

Instead, you know, I brought them a car but the reality is Steve Jobs didn't invent anything. I mean, you look at when the iPod came out there's all kinds of MP3 players already out there. Yes he brought a much more elegant version with a new interface and it was awesome. It completely changed the game but the idea of an MP3 player wasn't new.

Or you look at the iPhone. There were plenty of smartphones on the market. They just didn't work very well. He created an iPhone or  a smartphone that actually worked. Henry Ford did not invent the car. He didn't invent this assembly line but he combined, you know, he created a car that people could afford and a car that could be made economically via an assembly line.

So you look at both of them and they iterated, they took ideas that were already out there. And they made them better, more elegant, but it was an iteration of what was already out there.

So if you're looking to create something – especially create something online – take a look for a market. Take a look at a product that's already selling and then make it better. Make it your own and then look at the marketing that's already out there.

You know , this is, it's hilarious for me because you know, I invented – don't know how much I invented it but I created the online product launch – I basically took this idea of turning your marketing into an event and I packaged it. And I taught people how to do it and it completely changed the way stuff was sold online. But if you look at it, you know event-based marketing has been done for a very long time.  I just took it from one arena and I brought it into another arena and then I added my secret sauce, my authentic me, my way of creating it and presenting it.

 So, especially if you're just starting out, you don't want to be in the mode of “I'm going to create something brand new. That no one's ever thought of.” You know, if it's not already out there in the market there's probably a good reason for it. You know, it's probably because it doesn't sell. People don't want to buy it so when you're starting out, or even after you're along quite a ways, if you want to be a pioneer, you better be very experienced and very well capitalized. Otherwise, you want to focus on what's already out in the market, what's already selling, and how can you make it better, and bring it to the market, in a better fashion.

So, I'm Jeff Walker. If you're watching this anywhere else besides at my blog at jeffwalker.com, head on over there. Got lots of goodies there for you. Do all the social media stuff, hit the subscribe to my channel, give me a thumbs up, thumbs down, just give me some reaction. I love that reaction and let's go get him this week.