Netflix beat Blockbuster, and now it has to change again

Netflix helped push Blockbuster, the video rental chain, out of business. Now a piece from Inc. says Netflix may have to reinvent itself, because what got a company to the top will not necessarily keep it there.

What the story says

Inc. points to a simple idea: the habits that made Netflix a winner may not carry it into its next stage. The outlet frames it as a short line: what got you here won't necessarily get you there. The full article was not available for this write-up, so the details of Inc.'s argument are not covered here.

Why it reaches beyond Netflix

Blockbuster once ruled video rental. It lost ground to a company that offered something different. The same pattern can repeat with any business, large or small. Success in one era does not guarantee success in the next. A company can follow every lesson that made it strong and still be caught off guard when its market shifts.

What to do

If your business is doing well today, take the question seriously. Ask what could change your market next, and whether your current habits would still work if it did.

• Name one change that could reshape how your customers buy.
• List the habits that drive your results today.
• Test each habit against that change.

What is not known yet

The material does not say what changes Inc. expects at Netflix, or on what timeline. It also gives no numbers. Treat this as a prompt for your own planning, not a forecast about the company.