Business evolution is as ever-changing as the current, and it can feel impossible to keep up. From the latest social media movement to new software solutions and updated regulations, it’s hard to see the next thing coming up on the horizon. However, being prepared and even jumping on the next new thing before it becomes mainstream can be incredibly beneficial, or even critical, for your business success.
Enter “horizon development,” a term coined by yours truly at L2. As part of our commitment to helping entrepreneurs and small businesses succeed, we keep an eye on the rising sun, watching for the next business bright spot in the skyline. As the saying goes, “The early bird catches the worm,” and we want you to find lots of worms (preferably gummy worms though; they taste better). With everything you manage on a daily basis, trying to spot the next big change far out in the distance isn’t something that often takes precedence. Let us watch for you; we’ll hand you the binoculars when we spot something good.
Buzzword Breakdown
So why “horizontal development”? We created the term as a comprehensive way to describe the idea of new things coming up and their impact on business. The breakdown is simple: first horizon, then development. When you look towards the horizon just before sunrise, the sky starts to lighten with reds, oranges, and yellows, but it’s not until the sun peeks into view that you can see what’s sitting on the horizon. Unless you have the best eyesight ever, when you notice something, others will, too. As the sun rises higher and higher in the sky, more people can see what is forming on the frontier, becoming clearer and clearer like a developing picture. If you can see what is in the picture before it develops, you have the advantage.
What is Horizon Development?
Definition
“Horizon development” defined simply is the process of uncovering upcoming opportunities. It expands our scope of understanding, and at times, challenges the status quo. In a highly and rapidly evolving digital age, the limits of our virtual world are just the beginning. From artificial intelligence to emerging small business solutions to policies playing catch up in today’s market, something new is always just up ahead, and if you watch closely, you’ll see it forming early on. The beauty of horizon development is that it is never done; development, inherently, is a continuous journey of transformation and advancement, stretching the potential of the now into dynamic standards of the future. The goal of horizon development is to give you the time advantage to prepare, adapt, and excel in a perpetually growing and shifting entrepreneurial world.
Keep It Simple
A great example of horizon development is in the design industry, whether fashion or interior design. New designs can come across as “out there,” unconventional, or even futuristic, but in a few years, those designs are everywhere, and people are clawing to get their hands on the latest trend. This is true for the birth of green clothes. Green clothes? Yes, green clothes.
Until the 19th century, clothing dyes were very dull and neutral, until bright, artificial colors, particularly greens like Scheele’s green, became all the rage for the social elite. Unknown at the time, the vibrancy of the greens was due to arsenics and caused severe illness to those who wore or used them. That didn’t stop people from demanding the most beautiful green outfits money could afford. Thankfully, over time our greens became less poisonous and more cost-efficient. When green first began showing up in clothing, only the richest could afford such a colorful luxury. Now, emerald green is a holiday party color staple and pastel green dresses and shirts welcome the budding leaves of spring every year with millions of people sporting the color that once signified such elite status.
Business Case Studies
To provide real-world examples, we’ve highlighted 3 unique case studies to help visualize how this concept applies across a variety of industries. Overall, some horizon developments may call for strategic updates, like in marketing strategies, while others may require a tactical change to business operations. It’s important to stay on the pulse to understand what long-term implications they may produce.
Business Case Study No. 1: The Facebook Algorithm
Facebook has come a long way since its inception, growing from personal timelines and Farmville games now to business pages, special interest groups, and reels (videos). These changes didn’t happen overnight. Facebook needed its users to buy into the latest feature updates in order to have success across the platform, and those who joined in early were rewarded with free promotions and more sets of eyes than just their ads could bring. Russell Brunson describes this trend in his book Traffic Secrets, highlighting short, sharable videos, live videos, and groups. Initially, Facebook was sharing and promoting these forms of content for little to no cost until the concept started gaining more traction and popularity. These new features were Facebook’s ploy to retain user attention long enough to show them ads (aka revenue for Facebook). Therefore, Russell’s goal was to learn what content in those features Facebook was rewarding people for, and how they wanted that content promoted, free and paid. By creating that exact type of content, Facebook would be more likely to promote your content to a broader audience, extending your traffic reach and potential customer gain. Understanding the algorithm early created the advantage of increased traffic until the “Facebook slap” changed the algorithm, and views / impressions dropped overnight. Those who got in early reaped the benefit, but everyone else who learned after the fact couldn’t come close to replicating their predecessor’s success.
Business Case Study No. 2: The movie “Idiocracy”
Although it’s not a business case, this Luke Wilson movie embodies the horizon development concept in an extremely unexpected way. (Spoiler alert) In the 2006 film, “average in every way” Joe Bowers (Wilson) participates in a hibernation experiment waking up in the year 2505 where the human intelligence has decreased so dramatically, Bowers is now the smartest person on the planet. To portray the lunacy, people “watered” plants with Brawndo and made questionable fashion decisions, completed by wearing Crocs. In an interview, director Mike Judge shared Crocs were chosen as the shoe of choice not just because they were cheap, as Crocs was only a 4-year-old company with little brand recognition at the time, but because “no one would ever wear them.” Oops. By the time the movie was released, Crocs were everywhere. While unintentionally, the crew behind “Idiocracy” saw a small, peculiar shoe company on the horizon, and to their surprise, it developed into a household name, forever associated with their movie.
Business Case Study No. 3: The FTC Guidelines Update
In July 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released an update to their Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising, which required new, additional actions from all affiliate marketers (and in today’s world, that affected a lot of people). To help consumers fairly weigh a review, endorsement, or recommendation by an affiliate marketer or endorser, and to prevent deceptive advertisements, the FTC guidelines mandated anyone receiving a commission from a link click or item purchase to have a disclosure stating the relationship with the sponsor in a “clear and conspicuous” way, a newly added and defined term. This means social media influencers now must disclose any paid endorsements in each promoted post in a clear, easy to find, easy to read, highly visible way as to not be misleading or dishonest. Reviewers now must state if they have used a product / service and cannot be dishonest in their analysis. Written content, like in a blog, must have a written disclosure visible before the first affiliate link is presented. Any content that does to comply with the FTC’s guidelines may be investigated and could face legal ramifications. Therefore, being aware of these changes early allots businesses the time to make any necessary adjustments to stay in compliance with FTC regulations.
Impact on Your Business
Catching the next trend or change that’s coming over the horizon gives you one distinct advantage: time. Time is the most finite resource in the world; once it has passed, it’s gone forever. Talk about time often revolves around optimizing it, being more productive, scheduling, and even how to give yourself more time. While technically that isn’t possible, as everyone has the exact same 24 hours in a day, you can give yourself more time to respond if you plan accordingly.
That’s the goal of horizon development: point out what is coming, so you have as much time as possible to respond, rather than react. By understanding a trend or coming change early, you have the time to make adjustments and the opportunity to find what works best for you. This can range from new social media features like Reels on Instagram and Facebook to policy and compliance updates from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). While some trends are optional and hopping on the bandwagon allows flexible timing, other changes have hard deadlines that require implementation to occur by a certain time, emphasizing the importance of knowing what’s on the horizon. Remember, you are either an architect of change or a victim of change; a major influencing factor is how much time you have to prepare.
Harnessing Horizon Development for Agile Growth
Horizon development, a new term created by yours truly, is not only keeping an eye out for the next new “thing,” but giving you the time advantage to respond well when it does occur. Just like time, horizon development is a progressive action: it starts as a small light, hiding gems in its shadows, visible only to those really looking, until the light breaks over the terrain, illuminating the next change, shifting the momentum of business once again. Those who see it early can decide their response, even help shape the outcome in some regards.
Entrepreneurs and small businesses have one other distinct advantage in horizon development situations: speed. Unlike large corporations, small teams and solopreneurs can pivot quickly, bypassing the need for top-down approval and recommendations. When you want a change, you can simply implement it, corresponding with any pertinent team members, of course.
While it may seem daunting to monitor external changes as well as internal operations, rest assured we have your back. We’ll keep an eye on what’s ahead while you focus on the now. To stay informed and connect with other entrepreneurs in the same boat, join our network and become a member (it’s free!). Members get exclusive, in-depth content, including important horizon development updates. See you there!
If you found this "Kill the Jargon" article helpful, leave a comment telling why (or even why not), how you will watch for horizon developments, or times you've experienced the benefit of being on the forefront of a horizon development. To share your thoughts, join our free membership and connect with other entrepreneurs. For similar articles, discover more KTJ posts on its dedicated VTO blog post page.
About the Author:
Em is the co-founder of L2Business and Director of Communication. With a passion for writing and helping others, "Kill the Jargon" is Em's favorite L2 project. When she's not busy with the business, you can find her yelling at the TV watching her alma mater Texas Tech or any hockey game she can find. Let's connect on Facebook!
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