Do Bigger Things
A Practical Guide to Powerful Innovation in a Changing World
Book Edition Details
Summary
The rules of innovation are changing, and it’s time to tear up the old playbook. In "Do Bigger Things," Dan McClure and Jennifer Wilde present a bold new vision: ecosystem innovation. They draw from a rich tapestry of real-world experiences, from corporate giants to small-scale visionaries in Nepal, offering readers the tools to dismantle conventional barriers and redefine what's possible. With sharp insights and a strategic framework, this book empowers you to envision grander goals, tackle complex challenges head-on, and design impactful solutions. Whether you’re an industry leader, a daring entrepreneur, or a passionate activist, this guide invites you to break free from limiting norms and embrace a future where transformative change is within reach.
Introduction
In a small Midwestern town, something remarkable happened every spring. Students who had never been on a stage before would transform into confident performers, musicians would emerge from practice rooms to create magic in an orchestra pit, and volunteers would coordinate everything from lighting to ticket sales. Within just a few months, what started as scattered individual talents became a unified production that moved audiences night after night. This wasn't just about putting on a show—it was about creating something bigger than the sum of its parts. This kind of transformation represents the heart of ecosystem innovation, a powerful approach that brings together diverse people, organizations, and resources to tackle challenges that seem impossible to solve alone. While most innovators focus on perfecting individual products or processes, ecosystem innovators see the bigger picture. They understand that lasting change happens when multiple elements work together in harmony, creating synergies that amplify impact far beyond what any single effort could achieve. Whether you're facing a business disruption, trying to solve a community problem, or pursuing an ambitious vision that others dismiss as unrealistic, ecosystem innovation offers a different path forward. It's not about having the perfect plan or unlimited resources. Instead, it's about learning to orchestrate the pieces already available around you, connecting them in new ways that create unprecedented value. This approach has enabled small startups to topple industry giants, helped communities solve intractable social problems, and allowed visionary leaders to transform entire sectors of society.
The Power of Connected Solutions
When Airbnb's founders first rented out air mattresses in their San Francisco loft, they weren't just solving a simple problem of accommodation. They were unknowingly creating the foundation for an entirely new ecosystem that would reshape how people think about travel, hospitality, and the sharing economy. What started as three air mattresses would eventually grow into a platform with six million listings worldwide, worth over $68 billion. The genius of Airbnb wasn't in the technology platform alone, though that was important. It was in recognizing that unused bedrooms and empty apartments represented a vast pool of frozen assets that could be unlocked through the right connections. But making those connections work required orchestrating multiple elements simultaneously: building trust between strangers through rating systems, handling payments securely, providing insurance protection, and creating marketing that reached both travelers and hosts. Each piece of the Airbnb ecosystem served multiple purposes. The rating system didn't just help travelers choose accommodations—it also incentivized hosts to maintain quality and encouraged good behavior from guests. The payment platform didn't just handle transactions—it also provided financial protection and simplified international exchanges. The mobile app didn't just facilitate bookings—it also enabled last-minute changes and real-time communication. What made this ecosystem truly powerful was how it created value for everyone involved. Travelers got unique, affordable accommodations in neighborhoods they couldn't access through traditional hotels. Hosts generated income from previously unused space. Local restaurants and businesses benefited from increased tourism. Even the broader community gained economic activity and cultural exchange. This wasn't a zero-sum game where one person's gain came at another's expense—it was a system that generated new value by connecting resources in innovative ways. The success of ecosystem innovation lies not in perfecting individual components, but in understanding how different elements can work together to create something entirely new. When we move beyond thinking about isolated solutions and start orchestrating connected systems, we unlock possibilities that seemed impossible when working alone.
Breaking Rules to Build Better Systems
In 2010, the razor industry seemed unshakeable. Gillette had dominated for over a century, controlling 70 percent of the US market with an iron grip on retail distribution channels. Their products sat in every pharmacy and grocery store, backed by massive advertising budgets and decades of brand loyalty. Any challenger would need enormous capital, extensive manufacturing capabilities, and the ability to negotiate shelf space with major retailers. The barriers to entry appeared insurmountable. Then Michael Dubin changed the rules entirely. Instead of trying to compete within Gillette's established ecosystem, he created a completely different one. Dollar Shave Club bypassed retail stores altogether, delivering razors directly to customers through subscriptions. Rather than spending millions on traditional advertising, Dubin created a hilarious viral video that cost almost nothing to produce but generated millions of views. Instead of building expensive manufacturing facilities, he partnered with existing producers and focused on customer relationships and brand building. The brilliance of this approach wasn't just avoiding Gillette's strengths—it was creating an entirely new set of advantages that the incumbent couldn't easily replicate. Gillette's massive retail presence became a liability when customers preferred the convenience of home delivery. Their sophisticated manufacturing became less important when quality razors could be sourced from partners. Their advertising dominance meant little when customers were sharing funny videos on social media. What Dubin understood intuitively was that ecosystem innovators don't have to play by existing rules. When faced with barriers that seem impossible to overcome, they can often design entirely new systems that make those barriers irrelevant. This isn't about finding loopholes or cutting corners—it's about recognizing that most "rules" are actually just habits and conventions that can be changed when you approach problems from a different angle. The power of rule-breaking in ecosystem innovation comes from its ability to turn weaknesses into strengths and transform disadvantages into competitive advantages. By refusing to accept the constraints that limit others, ecosystem innovators create new playing fields where their unique combinations of resources, relationships, and creativity can flourish.
From Vision to Reality Through Ecosystem Design
Dr. Victor Treviño faced a challenge that seemed to have no good solution. On one side of the Rio Grande, his Texas border city of Laredo had abundant COVID-19 vaccines and high vaccination rates. Just across the river, Nuevo Laredo in Mexico desperately needed vaccines, with only 7 percent of residents vaccinated compared to 70 percent in Laredo. The vaccines couldn't legally cross the border, and traditional diplomatic channels moved too slowly to help people who needed protection immediately. Rather than accepting this seemingly impossible situation, Dr. Treviño and his son designed an innovative ecosystem that brought people to the vaccines instead of trying to move vaccines to people. They coordinated with Mexican consulates, arranged buses to transport residents to the international bridge, and organized medical teams to provide rapid vaccinations directly on the buses using simple plastic trays suspended from workers' necks—the same type used by street vendors. The entire system was orchestrated to work within existing legal and political constraints while maximizing efficiency and safety. Buses could pick up fifty to sixty people at a time, and the entire group could be vaccinated in just seven and a half minutes before returning for the next group. By working within the bridge area—technically international territory—they avoided complex border regulations while still maintaining proper medical protocols. This vaccination ecosystem succeeded because every participant received meaningful benefits. Mexican residents got access to life-saving vaccines they couldn't obtain elsewhere. Texas officials protected their broader community by reducing transmission from across the border. Medical workers contributed their skills to a humanitarian cause. Mexican officials could show they were addressing their citizens' needs without having to navigate complex international negotiations. Within months, the program had administered over 200,000 doses and raised Nuevo Laredo's vaccination rate to 50 percent. What started as an impossible problem became a model for international cooperation that other border communities began to replicate. The key wasn't having unlimited resources or perfect conditions—it was recognizing how existing pieces could be connected in new ways to serve everyone's interests while achieving a shared goal that seemed unattainable through conventional approaches.
Summary
The stories throughout these pages reveal a fundamental truth about creating meaningful change in our complex world: the most powerful innovations don't come from perfecting individual components, but from orchestrating entire ecosystems that serve multiple needs simultaneously. Whether it's three students turning air mattresses into a global hospitality platform, a comedian disrupting a century-old industry with viral videos and subscription boxes, or border doctors creating international vaccination programs with buses and bridges, success comes from seeing connections that others miss and having the courage to act on those insights. The essence of ecosystem innovation lies in recognizing that today's most important challenges and opportunities are too complex for simple solutions, yet too urgent to ignore. Instead of being overwhelmed by complexity, we can learn to leverage it as a source of creative power. By bringing together diverse people, organizations, technologies, and resources in new configurations, we can solve problems that seem impossible and create value that benefits everyone involved. This isn't about having perfect plans or unlimited resources—it's about developing the vision to see possibility in apparent chaos and the persistence to keep connecting pieces until something beautiful emerges. The world needs more people who can think and act this way, who can see beyond the immediate obstacles to the underlying systems that shape our reality. Whether you're facing a business challenge, a community problem, or a personal vision that others dismiss as unrealistic, the principles of ecosystem innovation offer a path forward. Start where you are, use what you have, connect with others who share your values, and don't be afraid to change the rules when the existing ones no longer serve the future you're trying to create.
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By Dan McClure
