How to Thrive in a Dying Industry: Leveraging Disruption

What Game Are You Actually Playing?

Are there patterns in your industry that are shaping your business model? Standards you're operating under that once made sense—but may no longer serve in the current terrain?

The truth is, many of these industry norms are beginning to erode. As disruption accelerates, industries are shrinking, morphing, and in some cases, vanishing. To thrive—not just survive—you need to continuously evaluate whether your industry is in expansion, contraction, or displacement.

And if you're in a dying industry?

You don't adapt.
You pivot the game entirely.

The Death of Print Media... Ssshhh, Don’t Tell the Newspapers

Let’s get real.

If you're in the newspaper industry, you've seen the numbers. Since 2001, over half of all newspaper jobs have disappeared. By 2010, the industry had dropped to $41 billion in revenue—a 35.9% decline from 2000. And it's only continued downward: under $30.5 billion last year.

The number of newspaper establishments?
Down more than 28% since 2000—with a further 17.6% loss by 2016.

By any metric, this is a dying industry.

Tony Robbins refers to this in Business Mastery as part of the industry lifecycle—and if you're in one that's declining, your job is not to cling to what's fading.

Your job is to anticipate what’s next.

Why Huffington Post Didn’t Die with the Others

Let’s look at someone who got it right.

In 2013, The Huffington Post experienced one of its most explosive years of growth. Then-president Arianna Huffington reported:

“2013 has been the most exciting year of growth for The Huffington Post. We launched our first international edition just over two years ago, and today we’re in nine countries that comprise half the world’s GDP. Forty-four percent of our traffic now comes from outside the U.S.”

What did they do differently?

They realized they weren’t in the newspaper business.

They were in the storytelling business.

Paper was just a medium—not a mission.

By expanding globally and leveraging digital platforms, they tapped into a richer ecosystem. Their audience grew by 21% in a single year—hitting 84 million unique views. By 2015, they had scaled to 200 million UVs/month. This was a company barely a decade old, outpacing legacy institutions crumbling under outdated models.

So the question is:
What business are YOU really in?

Welcome to the Shift Age

We’ve entered a new era.

Futurist David Houle named it The Shift Age—an age where change is the only constant, and the speed of disruption makes the Information Age look static by comparison.

If your company isn’t actively recalibrating its identity, strategy, and delivery mechanisms, the very rules you're operating under will become your cage. The terrain has shifted. If you're still playing by the old map, you're not even in the game.

When your clients can access breaking news faster than your reporters can, what’s the value of a paper on the doorstep?

The game has changed. Your job is not to mourn the old game—it’s to pivot into the one you’re actually playing.

HuffPost Embraced Change—Have You?

The Huffington Post didn’t cling to an outdated delivery method. They evolved their medium to stay true to their mission: telling compelling, relevant stories. Because of that, they became one of the most successful digital-native publishers in the world.

In a disruptive world, it’s not the strongest who survive. It’s the most adaptable.

The platforms, formats, and models you use to deliver your product or service should be constantly evaluated. What methods in your industry are outdated? What models could be innovated to increase value, reach, or resonance?

A Rising Tide Isn’t a Strategy

Here’s the flip side.

When the tide is high and the wind’s at your back, don’t mistake momentum for mastery. Just because the terrain feels smooth doesn’t mean it always will be.

The first obstacle in any business is often the entrepreneur’s own ego.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten the call:
“Things were going great… until they weren’t.”

They thought they were crushing it. But the terrain shifted. The tide receded. And suddenly—they were on the rocks.

It’s not the rocks’ fault.
It’s that you didn’t see them coming.

So Ask Yourself…

Are there beliefs you hold about:

• Your brand

• Your customer

• Your industry

• Your value

…that may be limiting your evolution?

Disruption isn’t the enemy.
Outdated thinking is.

The businesses that thrive in dying industries are those that transcend the identity of the industry itself.

You don’t need to go down with the ship.
You need to learn how to build a better vessel—midstorm if necessary.