Do Not Re-Invent the Wheel
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- How to Get Ahead in Life
- Find your Own Angle for Success
- Start Succeeding Early
- Do Not Re-Invent the Wheel
- Of Good and Bad Debt
- Duplicate Your Success
- Building a Strong Foundation for Success
- Gaining and Sustaining Success Momentum
- How and When to Buy Influence
- Succeed through Authenticity
- Set up Systems to Serve You
- Why set up your own Pipelines?
- Chasing the Wind of Success
- Is your Belief System screwing you up?
- What to do when you Lose it all?
What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; There is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9 RSV). Are you breaking your back trying to get ahead using a unique new trick? Did you know that someone already figured out what you are scratching your head over?
No matter how far, or how wide you go, you will always find someone with the exact same idea as you. That dream, that plan, that vision is not exclusively yours. Sorry to burst your bubble. There others just like you, smart like you, ambitious like you.
You do not have to re-invent the wheel to get ahead in life. You can leverage the resources, experience, talents and discoveries of others. Instead of trying to solve the problems of the world, or come up with a unique design to solve problems, why not spend your time advancing what others before you have built?
Stand on the Shoulders of Giants
I work in the software development industry. There are many software “libraries” that make work easier. We use those all the time. If I want to sell a book on my blog, I do not have to worry about the intricacies of credit card processing, I would let a company that specializes in that, such as Paypal or e-junkie deal with that. I would use their systems and software libraries.
Microsoft, Google, Sun Microsystems, Apple and other big companies spend millions in development of software libraries that software developers use to build applications. It would be foolish to build your own word processing software to produce your own newsletter if you run a small business. Why not let a giant like Microsoft or Google handle that for you?
It is amazing how many people try to build things by themselves instead of using what has been created and proven by others. For a software developer, the time savings are obvious. But for some professions, say like teaching, the time savings might not be as clear cut. It is up to you to think of what giants there are in your industry. Then ask yourself how you can leverage them. What would be the benefits of standing on their shoulders? How far can you see from that vantage point?
The giant upon whose shoulders you stand might be a mentor, a bank, a family member or a friend. Before you start your own venture, think of others who are better than you. Is there someone who is a better book keeper than you? Is there someone who is a better lawyer than you? Is there someone who is a better writer than you?
Do not be afraid to harness the creativity and potential of others. Bill Gates realized early on that if he was to become rich by meeting the software needs of his clients, he had to leverage the talents of others. He did that alright. Look around you, upon whose shoulders can you stand on to get ahead?
Research made Easy
Not too long ago, finding information about your competition was rocket science. The Internet has now made it easy to spy on your competition. You do not have to sift through their garbage to find out what they are up to.
Some people might not even realize they are your competition. All you need to do is plan your game plan, plan your angle and get busy on Google. Within a few clicks you can unravel what would have been a mystery a few years ago.
For example, using a site like Google Keywords Suggest, you can find out what search terms people use to search for stuff on the Internet. If I wanted to start a “free SMS”service on the Internet, I would use the Google Keywords Suggest tool to find out that 2.7 million people sought to send out free SMS last month. I could drill down and find what destination they wanted to send the SMS to. For example, 110,000 wanted to send free SMS to India.
I could then use Google or other search engines to research the business model of the competition. How do they make their money? How many free SMS messages do they allow before they tell their free users to upgrade?
Being the first one in the market makes it hard to know what customers want. But if you follow the leader, you can learn a vast amount of information at a fraction of the time, and cost. You do not have to re-invent the wheel. Use research tools tools to find out exactly what your competition is up to.
If you are not as tech savvy, you can still use research to get ahead. You can talk to people who have run that kind of business before. If people do not perceive you to be a direct competitor or threat, they will be more likely to talk to you and reveal little nuggets of wisdom to you.
Success is a Bad Teacher
Talk to people who have attempted to do what you want to do and failed. If you are planning to start a “matatu” business in Kenya for example (private bus transport), it would pay to talk to people who have tried that business and failed. If you talk to the people who have made it, they may not give you all the information you need.
The people who have failed can give you insights on what to avoid. The people who succeed sometimes get arrogant and maybe not pay as much attention to the details.
Build a Better Mouse Trap
Innovation is the key to success. You may not re-invent the wheel, but if you want to get ahead of the competition, you better invent a better way of using that wheel.
Ralph Waldo Emerson is credited with the quote in favor of innovation: “Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door.”. If you build a better way of serving your customers, word will get around and customers will beat a path to your door. Invent a better way of reaching your objectives using the talents, resources and experience of others.
In Summary
Take time to research your venture. Talk to the people who have been there, tried that, failed or succeeded. Read on your market and use research tools. Do not be content at copying what others have done. Innovate.
If you like this article and others on this blog, kindly invite your friends to have a look too. I would love to hear your comments.
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True Dan.. we should use that which is in us to bring out the best!!!
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Daniel Ngari Reply:
August 24th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
True paula.
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wow! “….Innovation is the key to success. You may not re-invent the wheel, but if you want to get ahead of the competition, you better invent a better way of using that wheel….”
great great lesson, i think sometimes i waste so much time reinventing the wheel, and look like am working hard,,,,never been more wrong. Thanks Daniel, this blog is always a great inspiration, and teacher.
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Daniel Ngari Reply:
August 24th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
@ Joy – thanks for being such an inspiration to me. The Joy of my heart is my strength.
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