This article first appeared in Forum, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on September 24, 2018 - September 30, 2018

In the past, storytelling took the form of puppet shows. Then came radio, followed by black-and-white television and then colour TV. Later, CDs, VCDs, laser discs and DVDs hit the market. Cinemas went from screening silent films to 3D, 4D, surround sound, high-definition films and so on, which further revolutionised film viewing.

Today, even giant pay-TV operator Astro has to contend with over-the-top players like Netflix and iFlix, which allow subscribers to download films from the internet and watch them on any screen, big or small, and anywhere, fixed or mobile.

What is the common denominator of all these products? It is the fact that they are all man-made. And all man-made products will never attain perfection, although that is the aspiration. The DNA, or the natural state, of man-made products is that they are all waiting for the next phase of innovation or change. Based on this, I introduced a concept for entrepreneurs and innovators in my first book, Non-Conforming; “If it’s man-made, it’s meant to be improved”.

This, to me, is an important entrepreneurial statement. The operative word here is “meant”. It is not “will”, or “can” or “shall” but meant, which denotes destiny or purpose. Anything that is made by man, either tangible or intangible, is meant to be improved. If we fully grasp that as a concept, we would understand that there are still many products waiting to be found, and many industries waiting to be born.

If we do not innovate, we will remain status quo, or worse, we will become irrelevant and extinct. Just think, had change not taken place in storytelling, we would still be watching puppet shows like in the old days.

The nature of a product that is meant to be improved can be linked to entrepreneurial acumen in recognising the importance of innovation. It starts with the thought of how to innovate a product or service further. This thought process also entails empowering people to bring about the change, to reinvent as well as learn, unlearn and relearn. Every product or service is just waiting for someone to come along and change it — it could be you who finds the next version of a man-made product. If you are not the one improving it, somebody else will. It could be your competitor, which could kill your business.

Today, we hear of the term disruption, that is, to disrupt the incumbent or established business. Rather than let your competitor disrupt your product by out-innovating you, wouldn’t it be more prudent to disrupt it yourself by moving ahead much faster than your external disruptors?

Remember the story of Kodak? Its core money-making business was selling camera films. It was the market leader, but it went bankrupt in 2012. What happened? Cameras went digital and then mobile phones came with cameras. People went from printing pictures to sharing them online. Kodak was so blinded by the success of its legacy business that it completely missed the shift in consumer behaviour.

Though Kodak pioneered digital photography technology, the company’s top leaders did not give it the support and capital it needed to grow — they were still pinning their future on their core business of selling camera films. Kodak ended up as the victim of a disruptive change. If we take this as a lesson, we can avoid a similar fate.

What is the key factor in bringing about change and innovation? The answer lies in knowledge acquisition. The question to ask is this: What is the knowledge that you need to improve on a product or service?

This brings me to the prequel to the concept of “if it’s man-made, it’s meant to be improved”, which is, if all the knowledge of man is pooled together, it is only like a drop in the ocean. It means there is a lot more that we humans do not know and have yet to explore.

Collectively, man’s current knowledge is only like a drop and the rest of the ocean is still untapped. If you believe this, you can choose to fight within that small drop or you can try to swim outside it and explore the rest of the ocean. This translates into seeking opportunities. Successful people are made from that drop of knowledge. Can you imagine the possibilities if you dare to dream outside that drop in the ocean? What is not in it is up for grabs.

Think about it. Aren’t the possibilities for us to seek knowledge endless? With it, we can create a lot more things and the riches will eventually come. First, start off with that “want”. If you do not want it, you cannot go to the next step. If you really want it, then you must commit, plan, strategise and persevere to execute it. That is the difference between people who go on to achieve what they want and those who just dream and do nothing about it.

If we truly understand the power of knowledge, there is no limit to what man can do. You can either choose to acquire the knowledge within that drop in the ocean or acquire more and go beyond it. Only those who continue to learn and never stop innovating can avoid becoming extinct.

Datuk Azrin Mohd Noor is the founder of Sedania Group, an innovator, author and IP expert

Save by subscribing to us for your print and/or digital copy.

P/S: The Edge is also available on Apple's AppStore and Androids' Google Play.