“First mover isn’t what’s important—it’s the last mover. Microsoft was the last operating system, and Google was the last search engine.” Contrary to the belief of the vast majority of those who seek to be successful in business, competition is actually a great benefit to any company. Average entrepreneurs value their competition about as much as they value their in-laws, while experienced entrepreneurs understand that the competition is not the enemy. If you have a viable business, then you can assume that you have one, if not multiple competitors. If you have a promising idea for a business, then someone else has probably already thought of it. When you find another company doing the same thing you are doing, don’t panic. This does not seal the fate of your ambitious venture—in fact, exactly the opposite is true. Competition is Market Validation The first thing to recognize is this: The fact …
3 Principles That Will Win Customers for Life
“70% of buying decisions are based on how a customer feels they were treated.” It may sound obvious but if you treat a customer well, you will have a customer for life. So why do so many businesses fail at basic customer service? Sure, there are some truly terrible businesses out there that really don’t care about their customers. But I choose to believe that the majority of businesses that failed, did so unintentionally. It’s easy as business owners to get wrapped up in the importance of your product or service. Don’t get me wrong, your product is extremely important. However, it is still not as important as how you take care of your customers. In fact, a recent study shows that 70% of buying decisions are based on how a customer feels they were treated. That is a staggering number and one that must not be ignored. …

