Entrepreneurship is all about taking risks. Seeing an opportunity to fill a need and doing what you need to do to fill it when others will not. The most successful ventures are those that take the biggest risk and venture into unknown territory and create entirely new industries. One of quotes attributed to Henry Ford addresses this phenomenon where he stated "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses."
These days many of the barriers that exist to creating new industries and filling needs that people do not even know they have are legal in nature. The truth of the matter is that the law has not caught up with the speed of technology. It is unwielding, slow to progress and a hinderance to innovation. However, there are some companies out there that see the perpetual silver lining and proceed regardless. These are what I like to call "Dangerous Startups". They face opposition head on and work to interpret or adjust the law to allow their innovative ideas to reach the market. The most obvious example of "Dangerous Entrepreneurship" include Lyft and Uber. Before these companies, individuals were stuck with the lack of service or expensive prices of local cab companies, but the law did not allow any competition in the industry. However, now, these along with additional car sharing services are commonplace and fill a need that most people could not articulate prior to their existence.
Being able to look at a situation which most would find impossible to innovate within and provide a solution that disrupts that mold is difficult on it's own. When the law works to stop that disruption, it can be even more difficult. However, as you think about how to find opportunity within an industry or field where none seem to exist within the confines of the law, remember that (some) rules were made to be broken. After all, law is created using the information available at the time, but as information and technology changes laws will, as most things in this world, become obsolete.
This post is not an endorsement to go out to break the law, but instead it is a challenge to creative within traditionally non-innovative industries. Think beyond what is currently in front of you and consider what could be as you work in your business. You have already taken the risk to start a business. Why not take one more and be the "Dangerous Entrepreneur" the world needs to solves its most pressing problems?
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