You Don’t Have to Be the First—You Just Have to Scale Smarter and Learn Faster

In a small town, a young entrepreneur opened a second pizza shop right next to the old favorite. At first, older residents mocked the ‘copycat’ and most customers stuck to what they knew. But the new shopkeeper kept her eyes open. She realized the original couldn’t deliver past 8 p.m., so she launched late-night service and added a dessert menu. She also noticed many families wanted healthier options, so she introduced whole-grain crusts and fresh salads. Within six months, her shop wasn’t just surviving—it had won over night-owls and health-conscious parents alike.

The business world often mythologizes ‘first-movers’—those who start before anyone else. But studies on strategic innovation note that so-called ‘fast followers’ actually achieve outsized results when they learn quickly from pioneers’ mistakes and then leapfrog competitors with smarter scaling. It’s not about copying exactly or trying to be the next big thing; it’s about doing what’s been done, only better and bolder, solving problems others miss. Entrepreneurs, students, and creators alike don’t have to be original to be remarkable—they just need to outlearn and outdeliver.

Think about a space you're in where someone else has already broken ground—it might be a part-time gig, a community group, or an extracurricular project. Instead of fixating on being first, dig deep into what’s being done and spot the missing pieces. What would delight users, audiences, or teammates that no one's yet delivering? Use your skills and drive to offer a 10X improvement on something—maybe it's scale, maybe it's service, maybe it's community. Don’t be discouraged by existing leaders; use their foundation as a springboard, and leap forward with your own twist.