Do what everyone else does, and then again, don't...

Inspiration for your business idea can certainly come from others if you add something yourself. In 2011, a blog post by Jesper about entrepreneurs copying each other got me thinking about the difference between copying blindly and taking inspiration.

Inspiration for your business idea is a starting point

I agreed that things can go wrong when everyone jumps into the same thing without thinking. I’d experienced that myself with a children’s clothing business, where lots of similar shops appeared and I ended up selling my share for next to nothing.

But we can’t all come up with a completely new idea from scratch. I look at concepts in other countries and ask whether something could work in Denmark and where I could add value.

Look at several things and build on them yourself

I can try several different services and take the best from each. Then I leave them alone and start building my own. That way, the solution gets a personal touch instead of becoming a copy of one particular competitor.

I also stressed that taking inspiration isn’t the same as taking someone else’s code or graphics. What’s interesting is the idea and the extra value you create yourself.

Service can make a familiar business special

Jesper had a printing business. The type of business itself wasn’t new, but I felt his personal service made it different.

He was someone you could call if something had gone wrong with a trade show stand and needed rescuing. That was the kind of effort that made customers happy.

So take inspiration, but add what makes you and your business special. It could be service, efficiency or a different approach to the industry. You don’t need to start with a brilliant invention to build something good.

Another way to stand out is finding a niche others overlook.

 

Inspiration for your business idea: Be an intelligent lemming

What prompted my thoughts in May 2011 was a post by Jesper, who runs Media Mouse. We have some really good expert bloggers on Amino, and Jesper has written a good post with a title along the lines of you being a lemming. He uses the image of one going over the edge and all the others following, even though it ends badly. That’s his image of entrepreneurs uncritically copying what others have succeeded with.

I completely agree with that point. If a pizzeria opens on the high street and does well, it won’t be long before there are four pizzerias. I see the same pattern in many other areas of entrepreneurship. Someone succeeds at something, and then everyone else thinks that’s where the money must be.

I’ve tried it myself. I bought the assets of a bankrupt children’s clothing shop. Shortly afterwards, more than 100 online children’s clothing shops opened. In my experience, that meant none of us was really going to make any money. I ended up selling my share for one krone or something like that. I’d wasted my time. So I’m not sitting here saying it’s a brilliant idea to rush into the same business as everyone else.

I don’t get brilliant ideas out of nowhere either

But I think there’s an important point missing: We all have to start somewhere. We can’t all come up with a brilliant idea. Some people tell me I have such good ideas. Like hell I do. Much of what I do is look at what’s going on.

I look at American, English and Danish concepts. What works in those countries? Could some of it work in Denmark too? Is there something I can add extra value to? I don’t like simply copying people’s concepts, but I think it’s fine to use something that already exists as a starting point.

Then I use the service a little and keep it in the back of my mind. After that, I actually stop looking at it. I start building things myself. That’s how I put my personal stamp on what I do.

I generally don’t keep going back and saying we need to do exactly that because that’s how the others did it. There may be individual elements I think are clever and use for inspiration. But that’s different from treating another company as the answer to everything in my own.

If I look at five or six different services, I can ask: What was great about the first? What worked in the second, third, fourth and fifth? Then I add my own ideas. That way, I can end up with a copycat product that’s still original, if you see what I mean.

Media Mouse shows what personal service can do

It would be a shame if everyone had to make something completely original. And this isn’t to criticise Jesper. His post is good. But his own printing business isn’t a completely new idea to begin with either.

You can call him to get something copied, have lettering made for your boat, print T-shirts or make posters. Businesses like that already existed. If you only look at the category from the outside, you could say: Congratulations, Jesper, you’re a lemming yourself.

But if you look more closely at his concept, you see the difference. My experience is that he’s added a very high level of customer service and a far more personal service than many of his competitors.

I think plenty of print shops do a sloppy job and mainly try to sell as cheaply as possible. They make crap products, but so cheaply that people can’t really be bothered to complain. Jesper charges a bit more, and in return he personally sees things through.

He’s the kind of person you call if you arrive at a trade show and your stand looks like shit. You say: Jesper, save me, for God’s sake. Of course he doesn’t always have time. But if he does, you know you’ll be rescued. That effort makes his business unique. The difference lies in how he runs it.

Add what makes you special and get started

So if you’re a new entrepreneur or considering becoming one, there’s nothing wrong with looking at other people’s concepts and taking inspiration. I stress in the video that this isn’t about copying their code, graphics or things like that. It’s about finding inspiration for what you want to build yourself.

Look at three, four or five different concepts. Then stop looking at them. Add your own special ingredient: The things that make you unique.

If customer service is something you really enjoy, that could be where your difference lies. If you believe you can do things more efficiently than others and therefore offer the lowest price, that could be your angle. Perhaps you have a very particular way into the industry. The difference you bring can vary. The point is that you add something yourself.

That way, being a lemming is fine. You just need to be an intelligent lemming. Get going with some great entrepreneurial projects. Denmark needs you. Also read Iværksætter til jeg dør about my experiences of building something myself.

Best wishes, Martin