Treating Like A Kid

In today’s competitive business market, it’s not enough for a CEO to just let things ride and see where the road leads. Today’s CEOs need to be competitive, and this means that they also need to be creative in their thinking.

Due to saturated markets, what worked for companies in the past doesn't usually work today. It can be a challenge to stand out in a sea of other similar businesses—CEOs need to learn how to think outside of the box to come up with new strategies that are going to get their businesses noticed.

Read on to learn more about some of today’s top CEOs and what makes them game changers within their industries.

What is a Game Changer?

The Oxford Dictionary defines a game changer as, “an event, idea, or procedure that affects a significant shift in the current way of doing or thinking about something.”

It’s time to take a look at some of the biggest game changers in the industry today and take some inspiration from their ideas and innovations.

Michael Preysman, Everlane

Everlane CEO Michael Preysman is doing something that is a rarity in the fashion industry—he is bringing transparency to the industry. While many companies are secretive about their costs for labor, product, and import duties, as soon as Preysman launched Everlane, he published a list of all of these costs, as well as profits for each product. When the prices of raw materials dropped, he showed the new costs so people could see what had changed.

Preysman also did something different with traditional Black Friday sales. When he first started Everlane, he didn’t offer Black Friday sales. Instead, he shut down the online store for that day, hoping to encourage shoppers to do something besides shop. Preysman wasn’t worried about profits. He continues to innovate by offering Black Friday deals but donating the profits to initiatives like on-site health care, wellness programs, English classes, and free groceries for factory workers.

Trevor Fencott, Fire & Flower

Trevor Fencott, CEO of Fire & Flower, knows that in order to be on top, it’s important to stay ahead of the game. There are few things more innovative today than getting in on the ground floor of the cannabis industry, and Fencott has done just that. His company specializes in creating strategies that will elevate the retail cannabis experience in Canada.

While cannabis isn’t new to the world, the idea of it being legalized is an area that North American governments have recently been exploring. Fancourt's goal for Fire & Flower is to specialize in Canadian cannabis retail products, both through experiential strategies and programming, that are based on education and not a myth.

Jason Mars, Clinc

Jason Mars is changing the way banking is done. Lots of banks have experimented with AI-powered banking assistants. Mars has taken this a step further by creating artificial intelligence called Fine that people can actually talk to like they would with another human being, using voice, text, and the like. This is something that no one else is doing, and Mars is clearly thinking outside of the box with this one.

Mars’ company, Clint, has created a banking assistant that is more like a real brain than AI. Fine can understand regular language, so users do not need to worry about entering specific commands and keywords. Mars debuted the banking assistant in 2016, and it has only been improving ever since. In fact, his startup is now the power behind the USAA Alexa’s voice banking.

Reed Hastings, Netflix

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings was just 38 years old when he co-founded the company, which was to be a direct competitor to Blockbuster, the now-defunct video rental chain. Hastings felt that more people would be interested in being able to receive their movies through their devices at home rather than going out to rent movies—and he was right. Netflix has more than 20 million subscribers, while Blockbuster claimed bankruptcy.

Hastings has continued to be an innovator in this field, using broadband technology to allow users to stream content directly to their PC’s, and then upgrading that service so consumers could stream directly to their televisions. Hastings’ ideas are challenging the video rental and delivery systems, and his innovations have led Netflix to see tremendous gains.

Richelieu Dennis, Sundial Brands

Last year, Richelieu Dennis, CEO, and founder of Sundial Brands was named in Fast Company’s “Most Creative People” list. In 2016, he was named by OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in the “SuperSoul 100,” a list of 100 innovators whose work brings a new level of consciousness. He also received the WWD/Beauty Inc. award for Ad Campaign of the Year with “Break the Walls,” which challenges the standards and ideals of the beauty industry.

Dennis began by selling Sundial products on New York City streets and is now offering products to some of the largest retailers in the US, including drug, beauty supply, natural, and other channels. Sundial products are made with natural, certified organic, and fair trade ingredients and Dennis has become recognized for research innovation surrounding ingredients that are globally sourced. His company manufactures the brands SheaMoisture, Nubian Heritage, and Madam C.J. Walker Beauty Culture.

Paul Grant, Royal Essence

CEO of Royal Essence, Paul Grant, is always looking for new ways to change the game, and he knows that in order to do this, he needs “true” game changers. This is why he sees his role as creating a culture that allows these game changers to be seen and heard. He himself is a game changer, adding a new element to the classic candle— surprise jewelry. Each scented candle has a surprise ring valued between $90 and $5,000.

Grant knows that in order to be a game changer, one always has to be improving, and open to new ideas. Moving and improving are two of Royal Essence’s core values. He advises that when something works, keep on doing it, but always look for new pursuits as well.

Bernard Tyson, Kaiser Permanente

Bernard Tyson, CEO of Kaiser Permanente, is striving to change the way patients see health care by putting them first. Tyson looked at how customers are treated in the retail and hospitality industries to find ways to make the Kaiser Permanente health centers more comfortable for patients. Members are able to do a lot more themselves now, including checking themselves in at kiosks, and receiving texts so they know when the doctor is ready for them.

Patients can have consultations with specialists in real-time via touch screens that are mounted on walls in exam rooms. In larger facilities, there are community-oriented health programs, as well as public spaces where members can find free resources. Tyson wants to improve the patient experience, and he’s using some of the most innovative communication technology to achieve this goal.

Nick Mitchell, Ultimate Performance

Nick Mitchell, founder and CEO of Ultimate Performance, the only international personal training business in the world, is a game changer who has created a $100 million corporation by changing the way personal training is viewed by the world. For Mitchell, it is not about where the gyms are located, or how much money they’re making. His business allows for personal trainers to grow and prosper in a way that they could not before Ultimate Performance.

This is not an industry that encouraged a lot of career progression until Mitchell stepped in. He believes that this is what has marked Ultimate Performance as “the only serious player in global personal training.” Based in Los Angeles, Mitchell has sites in Dubai, LA, London, Singapore, and Sydney, and client results are staggering.

Chris Bolivar, FREE Branding and Digital

Chris Bolivar, CEO of FREE Branding and Digital, shares that in order to be a game changer, companies need to bring divergent thinking to branding and advertising. HIs company focuses solely on branding and digital strategy, unlike many other companies that will offer a little bit of everything, but specialize in nothing.

FREE Branding and Digital is a company that offers a unique approach to digital and branding. They see every company they work with as an individual and creates strategies based on market research and A/B testing.

Today’s CEOs are Thinking Outside of the Box

These are just a few of the industry CEOs who are thinking outside of the box and changing how others see their industries. These people are taking the necessary steps to improve the quality of their products and services, are using innovative ways to do so, from technology to transparency to challenging industry standards.