If you run a business, whether you’re on the tools, running a workshop, creating something clever, or building a brand – you already know this… The old rules don’t work anymore.
Not for hiring.
Not for innovation.
Not for getting paid properly.
Not for keeping your head above water.
Yet most businesses still cling to dusty ideas about “how things are done.”
Newsflash: how things are done is exactly why people feel stuck.
The businesses that are flying right now?
They’re doing stuff that looks strange at first glance… but makes total sense when you zoom out.
Let’s get into it.
- You Don’t Need a Traditional Org Chart – You Need People Who Step Up
Zappos played with holacracy years ago, ditching managers and letting people own roles instead of titles. Everyone thought they were mad… until it worked.
But you don’t need Silicon Valley experiments to get this.
Think about:
- A crew on a job site
- A small workshop
- A creative team
- A founder-led business
The best moments happen when people naturally step into what needs doing—not because it’s their “job description,” but because they care about the result.
Hierarchy slows things down.
Ownership speeds things up.
Call it holacracy if you want.
I call it common sense.
- Transparency Isn’t a Buzzword – It’s a Power Tool
Some companies publish their salaries. That’s brave.
But transparency can be way simpler:
- What’s the business actually earning?
- Where does the money go?
- What’s the real margin?
- Why are prices set the way they are?
- How do you decide who gets paid what?
People don’t need spreadsheets—they need honesty.
And when you’re honest, people trust you.
This also applies to yourself.
If you’re running a business and paying everyone else more generously than you pay yourself… that’s not humility. That’s sabotage.
Being paid what you’re worth is an unconventional practice for a lot of business owners.
Start there.
- Let People Experiment Like They Actually Matter
Google had “20% time,” but you don’t need a tech giant’s budget to encourage experimentation.
Give your team (and yourself):
- Time to prototype
- Time to test ideas
- Time to learn new tools
- Time to build something that isn’t billable yet
Most breakthroughs in trades, manufacturing, digital, design and product-based businesses come from tinkering.
Most businesses kill tinkering in the name of “efficiency.”
Innovation isn’t born out of stress.
It’s born out of curiosity.
- Freedom > Micromanagement (Every Time)
Netflix famously said, “We don’t have rules, we have principles.”
Your version might look like:
- Flexible start/finish times
- No over-the-shoulder checking
- Letting adults be adults
- Output-based everything
People rise to the standard you set.
If you treat them like humans, you get human-level brilliance back.
- Unlimited Leave Makes Sense When You Measure the Right Things
Most small businesses freak out at this idea.
But rethink what “leave” actually represents:
Trust.
Autonomy.
Balance.
If your business can’t handle someone taking a holiday, you don’t have a leave problem—you have a systems problem.
- Community Isn’t Soft – It’s Strategy
Patagonia gives staff time to volunteer.
But in a local business, community looks like:
- Supporting local clubs
- Hosting an open workshop night
- Letting the team work on passion projects
- Backing an invention someone’s been building after hours
Community builds culture.
Culture builds loyalty.
Loyalty builds retention.
Retention builds margin.
Margin keeps the lights on.
- Introduce Cool Stuff That Works
Sure, some offices have dogs. Cute.
But let’s level up.
Try these:
- “Build something cool” mornings
- Trade skill swaps
- A creativity wall for prototypes and half-baked ideas
- “Fix that annoying workflow” sprints
- Friday lunch where apprentices teach the seniors something new
- A ‘what if…’ whiteboard where ideas go before they’re judged
Workplaces with life in them outperform workplaces with rules in them.
- Boredom = Breakthroughs
One of the strangest findings from the University of Illinois?
Bored people come up with better ideas.
Which means:
- Put your phone down
- Walk around the block
- Stare at a wall
- Let your mind wander
Builders, makers, and inventors already know this.
Your best ideas don’t come when you’re “trying.”
They come when you’re off autopilot.
- Kill Meetings. Save Time. Make Things.
Evernote killed meetings on Wednesdays.
Your version might be:
- No admin Monday mornings
- No meetings past 3pm
- No interruptions before coffee
- No Zoom unless absolutely necessary
Less talk.
More doing.
So What Does This All Add Up To? A business that:
- Moves quicker
- Thinks smarter
- Builds better
- Keeps the right people
- Creates real innovation
- Lets the owner get paid properly
- Feels fun to be part of again
Unconventional thinking isn’t a trend.
It’s a competitive advantage.
If you’re building something meaningful, whether it’s a product, a service, a team, or a legacy – you don’t need more rules.
You need more courage to run your business in a way that actually suits you.