Blog: From Margins to Machine : Blue Ocean Strategy

Tuesday, 12 August 2025

From Margins to Machine : Blue Ocean Strategy

Between 1990 and 2010, I read over 200 books. But I didn’t just read them — I argued with the authors in the margins, scribbled questions, predictions, and ideas in the white spaces. I called this process “Dialogue with Authors.”
All my notes from those books are now online:
👉 https://dialoguewithauthors.blogspot.com/2021/08/goggled-end-of-world-as-we-know-it-ken.html
Recently, I asked my Virtual Avatar (https://www.hemenparekh.ai) a simple question:
🧠 "What were my key comments on the book :

“ BLUE OCEAN STRATEGY - W. CHAN KIM / RENEE MAUBORGNE “
Here’s what my own AI ( my Virtual Self ) told me — and it surprised even me 👇
“ Based on my memory blocks, I had several discussions about Blue Ocean Strategy, particularly in the context of a job site and online jobs fair venture. In October 2016, I was analyzing how to compete against established players like Naukri and Monster while creating an innovative model that would be hard to replicate.
The key insights from my memory blocks about Blue Ocean Strategy include:
1. Focus on the underserved SME sector which employs 40% of India's
workforce (approximately 440 million jobs across 40 million organizations)
2. Democratize the job process through:
- No charges for job seekers
- Ad-based revenue model through InMobi
- Online job fair platform

3. Market size considerations:
- Organized sector is only 1% of employment (30 million jobs) - currently served by Naukri/Monster
- 914 Employment Exchanges with 41 million registered jobseekers
- Projected population growth of 600 million by 2050

This strategy aimed to create uncontested market space rather than competing in existing markets, which is the essence of Blue Ocean Strategy as outlined in the book by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne.

With regards,

Hemen Parekh
www.HemenParekh.ai / www.IndiaAGI.ai / www.My-Teacher.in /
www.HemenParekh.in / 13 Aug 2025

===================================================================

I asked PERPLEXITY :

" Hey Bro : Here is my notes , which I scribbled in the margin of book " Blue Ocean Strategy " . These notes were made in the context of my business of " Recruitment ( Offline and Online ). For a few of these notes , can you " guess " what might author have written which prompted me to write that particular note ? Here are the notes > ............ ( upto Page 50 only copied ) "

PERPLEXITY replied :

" Sure, I'll "guess" what elements or passages in "Blue Ocean Strategy" may have prompted you to write specific margin notes based on your recruitment business context. The book is famous for advocating creating "blue oceans"—untapped market spaces—rather than competing in "red oceans" with rivals. Below, I link your margin notes to likely themes, ideas, or phrasing the authors used, explaining the probable triggers from the book for each selected note.

Pg. No.4: "Competing against Non-Competition"

Your note: You reference "Competing against Non-Competition," aiming to serve jobseekers in small towns who lack internet access and not directly compete with dominant job portals.
Blue Ocean likely trigger: The authors probably discussed how disruptive innovation targets "noncustomers" and finds new market spaces, allowing businesses to sidestep direct competition. They stress how blue ocean strategies focus on creating, not fighting for, market share.

Pg. No.13: "Pay-Per-Use ... first of its kind in the world"

Your note: You mention introducing a "pay-per-use" web service for job ads, offering a low-cost option and capturing companies not traditionally using recruitment portals.
Blue Ocean likely trigger: The book often highlights how value innovation—simultaneously pursuing differentiation and low cost—creates new demand, leading to pioneering features or models. Likely, the authors described a case where a distinctive pricing or platform innovation opened access to untapped customer segments.

Pg. No.16: "180° departure ... micro-payment model"

Your note: You emphasize a radical departure from existing jobsite practices by using a micro-payment structure.
Blue Ocean likely trigger: The book might have described rethinking the "rules of the game"—how changing the factors the industry competes on can unlock new value for previously unserved segments. They often use phrases like "break from traditional logic" and "create new rules."

Pg. No.18: "Bottom of The Pyramid ... small towns ... Pay-Per-Use @ Rs1"

Your note: You focus on targeting the masses—jobseekers from small towns—through a micro-priced offering.
Blue Ocean likely trigger: The authors probably referenced strategies for addressing "Tier 3" or "noncustomers," such as companies that looked beyond existing demand to tap into vast pools of potential users. The concept of "Value Innovation" and finding ways to serve underserved populations fits this well.

Pg. No.24 & 27: "ABC analysis ... features ... No chance against big players"

Your note: You observe that the main jobsites dominate and standard features aren't a differentiator.
Blue Ocean likely trigger: Likely, this came after a section analyzing "industry boundaries" or "competitive landscape"—maybe a visual (like the Strategy Canvas)—which shows how most competitors offer similar features and compete on the same factors, an unsustainable red ocean strategy.

Pg. No.28: "500,000 small companies ... Non-Customers ... Rs1 per view"

Your note: You articulate a model for reaching the "non-customer" segment—small companies not currently on job portals.
Blue Ocean likely trigger: The book has a section on "Three Tiers of Noncustomers," urging businesses to unlock and convert those not currently in the market. Your outreach plan directly echoes this philosophy.

Pg. No.31: "Leap frog ... small companies ... online recruitment"

Your note: You aspire to leap-frog major portals by onboarding millions of records and simplifying the posting process for small companies.
Blue Ocean likely trigger: This was probably prompted by a story of dramatic scale, disruptive methods, or breakthrough tech adoption that set a company apart—again, a hallmark of blue ocean strategy where simplicity and accessibility expand markets.

Pg. No.39: "Door delivery ... making jobsearch obsolete"

Your note: In WWJ, you want jobs/resumes to reach users proactively, not passively through search.
Blue Ocean likely trigger: The authors encourage companies to "create new demand" by eliminating pain points and delivering unique value propositions. They might've given examples of how rethinking delivery or access led to new categories or massive growth.

Pg. No.47: "Market boundaries ... NEW boundaries ... convert 'Non-Consumers'"

Your note: You contrast incumbent market segments with new, untapped user types.
Blue Ocean likely trigger: This echoes direct advice from the book about "reconstructing market boundaries" using six paths, where companies re-segment and redefine who their real market is (not just the current buyers).

Pg. No.49-50: "Partner with newspapers ... embrace alternatives ... level playing field"

Your note: You want to collaborate with local newspapers, making them partners, not rivals, and offering alternatives to traditional job portals.
Blue Ocean likely trigger: Collaboration across industries to create new value networks is a classic blue ocean move. The authors might have discussed "alliances" or how nontraditional partnerships can create new market space and value.

In summary, your notes throughout reflect core Blue Ocean Strategy concepts:

Targeting noncustomers.
Reinventing pricing and value models.
Shifting industry boundaries.
Creating uncontested market space.
Innovating distribution/delivery.
Simplifying offerings for mass accessibility.

Your strategic thinking and innovations in recruitment clearly echo the authors' calls to look beyond fighting competitors—to create value where none existed, often by changing the definitions of customers, industry, and value itself. "