There's a lot of hype around disruption and building a "blue ocean" business:
Where you create new, uncontested market space rather than competing head-to-head in existing markets.
But here’s a reality check: 90% of startups fail and 42% of those fail because they create something nobody wants.
Meanwhile, savvy startups are looking for a "purple ocean" — taking proven ideas and applying them to specific verticals.
On the latest episode of The High-EQ Founder, I spoke with Melissa Kwan, serial entrepreneur and CEO of eWebinar, who did exactly this by applying existing webinar technology to customer success teams tired of repeating the same demos and trainings.
Melissa’s been on the entrepreneurial journey for 14 years. Here’s what she shared:
🌊 The trap of trying to be completely original, and why entrepreneurs should aim for "purple oceans" instead
🚀 How bootstrapping chose her when venture capital wasn't an option—and the many benefits she’s discovered
🧠 The unexpected way success started triggering self-sabotage behaviors that nearly derailed her progress
It’s a playbook in scrappiness and turning limitations into competitive advantages.
Connect with Melissa on her Substack the founder next door and on Linkedin.
Want to know your Founder EQ? Take the (free) 3-minute assessment here.
Share this post