Turning Animal Waste On Its Head

It is amazing what you can do for your brand by questioning the conventional wisdom. For some strange, unknown reason, people almost always accept the facts the way they are presented. But for the brave few that challenge these facts, new and lucrative business models are often found.

A colleague recently told me a story about the Denver Zoo. For a long time, it was an accepted that disposing of the animal waste was just another fact of the business, and a significant cost to boot. One day, the Denver Zoo questioned this, which led to the launch of a fertilizer product made from the mostly organic animal waste. The product soon became one of the most profitable areas for the zoo.

This story is one of the best examples I have come across of challenging the existing business norms in order to drastically redefine your business and your brand.

What do you think? What accepted conventional wisdom could you break to better serve your customers? To create new revenue streams? To cut costs?