Stop Getting Commoditized: How Tackling Hard Challenges Will Future-Proof Your Business

Throughout history, technology has transformed the seemingly impossible into the hard, and the hard into the easy. Consider how ancient farmers, once limited to plowing vast fields by hand, saw their world revolutionized by the invention of the tractor—turning a once monumental task into a routine operation. In much the same way, today’s frenzy over artificial intelligence echoes past reactions to breakthrough innovations like the internet and mobile phones. Companies that view AI solely as a disruptive threat are missing an essential lesson: embracing and mastering challenging technologies builds a robust competitive moat, while settling for “easy” solutions leads to commoditization and eventual obsolescence. Rather than shrinking the scale of technology to fit comfort zones, leaders should boldly tackle the hard and even the impossible to secure lasting market advantage.

Defining “easy” versus “hard” isn’t about the sheer amount of work involved, but about how crowded the competitive landscape is. A task is considered “easy” when, say, 30 or more competitors can claim they deliver the same service at the same price and quality. In our industry, implementing platforms like Salesforce Commerce Cloud is far from trivial; however, for me it becomes an “easy” proposition if 30 companies are ready to offer the same implementation time frame for about the same cost. The real challenge—and the opportunity for differentiation—lies in leveraging technology and innovation to drive efficiencies; for example delivering that same implementation for the same quality in half the time. By shifting your focus from matching a crowded field to being one of the few capable of such accelerated delivery, you transform a commoditized market into one with a sustainable competitive moat.? This is an example of doing hard things.

Identifying your hard problems starts with a deep, first principles assessment of your current operations. Instead of replicating what 30 competitors can do, ask yourself: “What can I do that only three to five companies are capable of?” This means deconstructing your process to its fundamentals and challenging the status quo. Use first principles thinking to break down every task and question whether there is a way to achieve the same result with a unique twist or superior efficiency. The goal is to find that competitive edge that transforms your offering from a commodity into something exceptional—ensuring that your approach becomes a strategic initiative rather than just another industry-standard practice.

A great example of being in the business of “hard” is Amazon Web Services (AWS).? Their story exemplifies transforming an almost impossible challenge into a lasting competitive advantage through relentless innovation. In the early days of cloud computing, scalable on?demand power was a formidable problem that only a few could solve; AWS not only made sophisticated computing accessible by launching a comprehensive suite of cloud services but also continuously expanded into areas like serverless computing, machine learning, edge computing, and advanced container orchestration with Kubernetes. This ongoing drive to simplify complex tasks creates a formidable moat that keeps competitors at bay and prevents commoditization, ensuring AWS remains one of the few companies worldwide capable of tackling hard challenges and dominating the global cloud computing landscape.

Strategic execution of this vision requires embedding a culture of doing hard things into the very fabric of your organization. It’s not enough to launch a single challenging project; you must foster an environment where pushing boundaries becomes a daily habit. This cultural shift is about setting internal benchmarks where success is measured by being in an elite group—not by the hours clocked, but by the level of differentiation achieved. By consistently challenging yourself and your team to innovate beyond what everyone else is capable of, you create a dynamic, resilient organization that continuously raises the bar, ensuring that hard problems remain your competitive advantage over time.

The companies that dare to pursue hard challenges secure lasting competitive advantages. Amazon shows us that transforming seemingly impossible tasks into opportunities for relentless innovation doesn’t just cut costs or speed up processes—it redefines industry standards entirely. Now is the time to reframe your strategy, because AI represents a paradigm shift so transformational that it levels the playing field. Where once the expense of moving from doing easy things to doing hard things kept many companies at bay, AI has put everyone in the same boat. If you can challenge your assumptions about delivering your programs, products, or services—by leveraging AI ahead of your competition—you’ll move up the value chain from being one among 30 competitors to one among just five, and for those rare few, perhaps even an N of 1.

Ultimately, embracing AI and committing to consistently doing hard things will enable you to redefine what’s possible in your industry. This relentless pursuit of excellence not only creates a formidable competitive moat but also positions your organization to thrive amid rapid technological change. Embrace the challenge, innovate boldly, and transform your business to lead in this era of disruption.