Column | Lewis: The secret to success – don’t play by the rules

I’ve been involved with hundreds of startups — some I started, many I funded, and many I acquired while working at larger companies. The most common trait of successful startups?

They ignore the existing rulebook and play their own game — with new rules.

Now, when I say “break the rules,” I don’t mean laws. Success isn’t about breaking the law — it’s about changing the game.

Take Amazon. It would have been nearly impossible for them to dethrone Sears, JCPenney, Target, or Walmart by playing by the traditional rules — building stores in malls across the country. Instead, they ignored the rules entirely and created a model with no stores at all.

That’s the pattern.

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You would think that large companies — with all their resources and scale — would see these threats coming and crush startups before they reach critical mass. But they usually don’t. More often, they simply don’t recognize the threat until it’s too late. Sometimes the shift is so fundamental — like streaming video or digital photography — that there is no easy transition path. Just ask Blockbuster or Kodak.

It’s a bit like getting the flu. You don’t get sick because your body is weak — you get sick because your body doesn’t recognize the threat. By the time it figures it out, the damage is already done.

Companies work the same way.

You can see this play out beyond business as well. In recent conflicts, leaders have often assumed that superior resources — more planes, more missiles, more ships — would lead to quick victories. But that assumes your opponent is playing by the same rules.

They aren’t.

If someone is using $20,000 drones and you’re shooting them down with $1 million missiles, you’re not just fighting a battle — you’re losing the economics of the war. Similarly, controlling a narrow shipping lane can disrupt global oil supply and drive massive price spikes. It’s not about size — it’s about changing the rules of the game.

The same thing happened when Russia invaded Ukraine. Many expected a quick victory. Instead, the conflict has dragged on, reshaped alliances, and rewritten assumptions.

The outcomes are still uncertain, but one thing is clear: The easiest way to lose is to assume your opponent will play by your rules. This idea isn’t limited to wars or massive market disruptions. It applies to everyday problem-solving.

One of the most powerful examples I’ve seen happened during a major product failure at a customer site. It was our largest installation — running the entire ATM network for a major bank. About once every 60 days, the system would crash, taking everything down for several minutes.

We could reproduce the conditions that triggered the issue, but no one could find the bug. The engineering team was stuck. In desperation, I called in our most senior technical expert. He spent the weekend camped out in the office. When I came in Monday morning, he told me the problem would never happen again.

Naturally, I asked, “What was the issue?”

He said, “I have no idea.” Pause. “I didn’t fix the bug. I just made sure the conditions that cause it can never occur.”

He didn’t solve the problem — he made sure the conditions that produced the problem could never happen.

It was a brilliant solution that saved the customer, and it never would have happened if he had stuck to the traditional rule: find and fix the bug.

When you’re facing a major challenge — whether it’s competition, a technical problem, or something else entirely — don’t just work harder within the existing rules. Step back and ask: What if the rules themselves are the problem?

The biggest breakthroughs don’t come from playing the game better. They come from changing the game entirely.

Mark Lewis, a Colorado native, had a long career in technology, including serving as the CEO of several tech companies. He’s now retired and writes thriller novels. Mark and his wife, Lisa, and their two Australian Shepherds — Kismet and Cowboy, reside in Edwards.