costs, Wal-Mart operates with expense rates that competitors aren’t likely to approach anytime soon. Ignorance of the rules has paid off. In their fi rst 36 years of operation, Wal-Mart, Wal-Mart Super Centers, and Sam’s Clubs combined to capture 15 percent of the total U.S. retail market, including autos! Long standing businesses must get ignorant in order to get smart— ignorant in the sense of never treating the industry’s conventional wisdom as unquestionable dogma. The trendsetters’ only dogma is: Question everything. How to get ignorant to become smart ã Walk through your offi ce, store, or plant, as you have never done before. Each step of the way; adopt the naive eyes of a young child and ask questions like, “Why are things done this way?” or “Why can’t we do that a different way?” ã As you talk with manufacturers and distributors in your supply channel, notice the compromises being tolerated out of “it’s-always-been-done-this-way” habit. Then imagine you are a child who feels no need to compromise. (Remember, kids don’t care about budgets, so don’t shut down your capacity for no-limit thinking at the very outset with preoccupations about paying for the innovation.) ã Better still, invite a group of grade-schoolers to tour your business and encourage them to voice their questions and share their reactions. Get ready for an eye-opening experience. In 1966, Payless Shoes President Maxine Clark left to pursue her mission of bringing the theater back to retailing. In her research, Clark visited a factory that offered tours to grade schools and scout troops. She observed how the process of seeing products actually being manufactured enthralled the children. Clark decided to recreate the factory’s process in a mall-based retail experience, known as Build-A-Bear Workshop. The workshop is organized into