Blue Ocean Strategy
by W. Chan Kim & Renée Mauborgne
Compete Less. Create More.
At some point, you stop asking “How do we beat the competition?” and start asking “Do we even need to compete in the same space?”
Blue Ocean Strategy helped me make that shift. It gave me the mental model to step outside saturated markets, rethink value, and look for growth in places others overlook. It’s not theory—it’s a strategy I’ve used to build new offerings and reposition businesses.
What the Book Is About
Blue Ocean Strategy introduces the concept of creating “blue oceans”—uncontested market spaces—rather than battling it out in “red oceans” crowded with competition. It’s a systematic approach to breaking out of the price-and-feature war and offering something fundamentally different.
The authors provide a step-by-step framework for identifying new opportunity zones by shifting focus from the competition to innovation, value creation, and market-making. With examples like Cirque du Soleil, Southwest Airlines, and [Yellow Tail] wine, they show how businesses created their own space—and thrived.
Why This Book Mattered to Me
In law, and in business generally, we often inherit a model and then try to incrementally improve it. This book taught me to challenge that premise entirely.
When I read Blue Ocean Strategy, I started asking better questions:
What value are we competing on that we don’t need to?
What can we eliminate, reduce, raise, or create that others haven’t?
Is this a red ocean problem—or do we need a blue ocean rethink?
This approach influenced how we’ve launched new services at Fennemore, how we explore tech solutions in the legal space, and how I think about leadership visibility. If you're always playing the same game as everyone else, you’ll always be limited by their rules.
Key Takeaways
Value innovation is the core of Blue Ocean Strategy. Don’t just innovate—do it in ways that add real value to your audience.
Don’t benchmark competitors. Reimagine what customers actually want and look for non-customers who could become your new market.
Strategic moves matter more than industry. It’s not about what field you’re in—it’s about how you play the game.
Who Should Read This
This is a must-read for founders, strategists, service professionals, and leaders trying to grow in crowded or commoditized markets. It’s especially powerful for professionals who are stuck in incremental thinking or feel boxed in by “how it’s always been done.”
If you’ve ever thought, There has to be a better way to deliver what we do, this book is the toolkit to help you find it—and act on it.
Final Thought
Blue Ocean Strategy doesn’t give you easy answers—but it helps you ask the right questions. It’s helped me think more creatively, lead more strategically, and find growth in unexpected places.
If you’re ready to stop fighting for a bigger slice and start baking a better pie, this book shows you how.
