The Entrepreneur’s Wild: How Adversity Forges Unstoppable Innovation

From Boycotts to Bankruptcies—Why the Toughest Problems Make the Best Companies

Ask any entrepreneur about their biggest breakthrough, and you’ll likely hear a story of adversity. Jim McKelvey’s 'The Innovation Stack' is a love letter to the wild—the unpredictable, often hostile territory where true innovation happens. It’s here, in the face of exclusion, attack, or outright failure, that entrepreneurs are forced to invent their way forward.

Consider IKEA, a company boycotted by its own suppliers in Sweden. Instead of folding, IKEA invented flat-pack furniture and built its own supply chain—transforming a crisis into the foundation of a global brand. Or Southwest Airlines, which faced regulatory hurdles and entrenched competition, and responded with a stack of operational innovations: one aircraft model, rapid turnarounds, and a famously fun culture.

Square’s story is a modern echo of these legends. When Amazon, the ultimate predator, copied their product and tried to crush them with lower prices, Square did the unthinkable: nothing. They trusted their innovation stack—knowing that changing one piece could unravel the whole. Amazon eventually retreated, proving that resilience is sometimes about holding steady, not fighting back.

What do these stories have in common? They show that adversity is not a curse, but a gift. When you’re forced to solve problems no one else faces, you build a system that’s unique, resilient, and nearly impossible to copy. The lesson: Don’t fear the wild. Embrace it. The greatest business stories are written not in comfort, but in chaos. 1 2 3