#501 it's in the mail

I received a letter in the mail last week from an organization called "23 and Me."  It was intriguing enough for me to open it and learn that this company offers a Personal Genome Service.  For the low, low price of $99 (plus shipping, of course) I can receive a report on my DNA and ancestral history.

Is this a case of proactively managing your health -- or is it a case of TMI?  I wonder. While some information may lead to positive changes, other knowledge may just lead to anxiety over potential implications.  I will not be sending my sample to a lab!

But more so than the service they are offering, I was struck by the fact that this is an unknown company in California writing me about it.  It is just another example of how fragmented industries have become.  No longer are the medical and clinical laboratory services relegated to just the hospitals and doctors.  You can get your taxes done at Walmart or Sears. No longer do long-standing campuses have the monopoly on higher education.  Entertainment is now delivered by Amazon, Netflix, Hulu and dozens of other providers beyond the television networks.  

Think about a service you or your organization is providing and try to get past the stereotypical ways that your value is delivered.  Someone is delivering a DNA analysis through the mail, without a doctor's order.  It is a new day.  Is there a new market out there waiting for you?  

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com