What’s wrong in being the 10th?

Nothing.

If you are happy being so, why bother. We have people talking about first mover advantage, we have people minting money writing books about being the first in the category, if you miss the bus, then create you own bus (category). So on and so forth.

Give me a break. Right from our childhood days we know that their can be only one first rank holder. For a moment let’s apply this principle of first mover and new bus creation in a kindergarten level. So you get an admission for your kid, lets say you are even the first parent to do so. You patiently wait for the first term result, he is not the first. Then what, you move him to a new school. What if he is not the first in the new school as well, then you built a new school where he is the only student, hence the first rank holder. Now people will love your son and will remember him for being so special and the first in the new school.

This might sound out right crazy or very argumentative line of taught. But there is a grain of truth in it. You can slice your market only to a limit. You can create new buses only to the point where there is enough room to travel.

How about the competitive spirit? Why accept someone as the first and run to be the first somewhere else? What about the survival of the fittest? If our ancestors have made a rush for this whole issue of new category creation, then we would be having the first set of brothers walking up straight, the second category creator walking on his head, the third category creator walking side ways with his right hand and right leg, the fourth with the left hand and left leg. Pretty interesting isn’t it.

Our management gurus who talk about being the first, will also give us a list of companies that where market leaders in 1975 and who are no where now. That’s pretty much eating there own words. So if you are the 10^th today, may be in 2034, you’ll be the 1^st.

It all boils down to your business goals. If you are happy being 10^th in ten different categories and earning twice the profit than a company that is the 1^st in one category. Hat’s off to you. You are going to get more capital and more investors, and you are going to create more shareholder value.

So nothing is wrong in being the 10^th, if it makes business sense to you and your shareholders.