#186: Vertical Vs. Horizontal Growth

Are you growing vertically or horizontally? Are your projects building in a vertical or horizontal fashion? In Peter Thiel's book Zero to One, he discusses the concept of vertical vs. horizontal growth. In horizontal growth, your business, idea, or concept is growing in a spreading fashion. You take an existing, well-known concept and you spread it for growth. The concept is well-established, it is already seen, it is tried and true. When you grow horizontally it is all about the distribution of your idea or product.    In vertical growth, it is not about going wide with your concept, it is about going deep, thoughtful, and innovative. When you create new technology, when you look at the underlying process of something, and when you innovate, you are growing vertically.  Vertical growth is a disruptor. It takes the existing paradigm and it makes things different. The challenge in vertical growth can be that it has to be something never thought of or implemented before. How are you innovating or changing the game for your field? Are you building horizontally or vertically?