February 4th, 2026
I've spent the last four decades fighting what I call "copy-and-paste thinking"... the assumption that because something has long been done a certain way, it must be the right way.
Here's the uncomfortable truth: The most dangerous place in business isn't on the edge of a cliff. It's in the middle of the herd.
Innovators don't ask, "How do I do this 10% better?" They ask, "What would this look like if we threw away the script and started from zero?" And often, the biggest opportunities for disruption aren't what we charge, but how we charge for it.
The Blue Ocean Nobody's Swimming In
Sometimes you disrupt an entire industry. More often, you disrupt a slice of it: a particular price point, a specific customer segment, or a payment structure everyone has stopped questioning.
Your blue ocean is usually hiding in a sentence that starts with, "I wish someone would just..."
Let me show you what I mean with an example that's been hiding in plain sight for decades: real estate commissions.
The typical residential real estate transaction involves an agent being paid a percentage of the sale price, and only if the transaction closes.
Stop for a moment and examine that structure through fresh eyes.
The Math That Raises Questions
Does it really cost twice as much in time, expense, and expertise to facilitate the sale of a $1 million home versus a $500,000 home... or a $2 million home versus a $1 million home? Of course not.
Yet in real estate, we've collectively accepted it as "just how it's done."
In a marketplace drowning in self-promotion, the most radical thing you can do is tell the truth.
The Structural Challenge Nobody Talks About
When compensation only arrives if a transaction closes, and the amount increases with the sale price, what happens to the purity of professional counsel?
If you're selling your home, and the listing with your agent is nearing expiration, can they be objective if a last-minute offer comes in, and they will lose a $25,000 commission if you don't accept it?
If you're a buyer stretching your budget, will you receive unfiltered guidance about walking away from an overpriced property when your agent has shown you 20 homes and believes they've earned a commission?
This isn't about questioning anyone's integrity. Most real estate professionals are deeply committed to serving their clients well. But structure shapes behavior, and the taken-for-granted percentage commission structure creates built-in bias that would be considered problematic in almost any other profession.
The Fairness Gap (That Hurts Both Sides)
Now consider the other side of the equation.
Imagine a professional investing $2,000 in photography, virtual tours, and marketing materials. Forty hours spent over six weeks on phone calls, coordination, and weekend showings.
Then circumstances change. The seller changes their mind.
Imagine a professional spending three long weeks showing a buyer 35 homes, then that buyer walks into a new home subdivision and buys direct.
Agents who did everything right receive nothing. Not reimbursement for expenses. Zero compensation for weeks of professional work.
"Don't waste your life trying to become the best version of a model you secretly know is broken."
This isn't fair to consumers who may not be getting conflict-free advice. And it's not fair to professionals who deserve compensation for expertise, expense, and effort, regardless of whether external circumstances cause a transaction to occur.
A Different Blueprint
What if real estate professionals charged like attorneys, consultants, or architects?
By the hour for their time. Or a fixed fee for a package of services? Perhaps a modest success bonus if a transaction closes, but not a percentage that multiplies illogically with price.
This isn't radical. It's reasonable.
It would mean clients could receive expert counsel without the professional's financial future riding on whether they say yes or no.
It would mean agents could build sustainable practices without the feast-or-famine uncertainty of commission-only income.
It would mean alignment. Trust. Clarity. Fairness.
The Glitch in the Matrix
This same maverick thinking applies everywhere. Look at how fees are structured in your industry. Not just how much is charged, but how it's charged. That's where gaps in the herd often hide.
The businesses that thrive tomorrow won't be slightly better versions of today's model. They'll be fundamentally different answers to questions most people have stopped asking.
That's not comfortable. Mavericks rarely are.
But comfort is just a slower way of saying "replaceable."
And in any industry ripe for reinvention, the professionals who dare to redesign the game itself might just be the ones still standing when the dust settles.
