Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950)
From the book Tarzan of the Apes
Such is the life of an entrepreneur!
Starting something, even from the ground floor, a new product, a new idea, a new service - is difficult at best. And the entrepreneur must, indeed MUST, assume that there are lions out there.
And not just that there are lions, but that the lions that he will face are all ferocious.
And who or what are the lions? An entrepreneur has to be a lion. And a ferocious lion! And the entrepreneur has to assume that the new thing being offered by his business will be accepted. Why else go through all that it takes to bring something new to the fore? And even if that new thing is indeed new, never before seen, there may be another entrepreneur (another lion) with the same thing. Or, and this is a certainty, there are other lions out there ready to pounce on the first entrepreneur's good or service, and offer a similar thing.
And the second new thing will be very similar, but different. It will offer itself as bigger, better, more colorful, doing more things, more convenient, a second for free, free shipping, etc., than the first!
The free enterprise jungle is full of other lions! And the first new good or service offered by the first lion, if received and in demand, will be pounced upon by other ferocious lions. The first entrepreneur has to assume, as Tarzan knows, that they are ferocious!
And free enterprise is beautiful and hideously ferocious at the same time - the second (or third or fourth) lion will find plenty of meat to eat!
This plots the course for the first entrepreneur. There must not only be plans for the roll out of the first new thing, but plans in advance for another roll out of an improved version. If not that, then at least the first entrepreneur must have the ability built in to up the ante with faster this, more colorful that, or free this or that.
One new product out in recent years offers home repairs in a can. You merely spray the magical stuff on whatever the surface and magically it is repaired - no more leaking, no more exposure to damage - and the repair even magically disappears! The repaired whatever looks like new! At least on TV.
Since the roll out of the first magic in a can, not only are there more colors of the original product, but different kinds - a caulk and a putty in addition to the spray. And all of the new products are just as magical as the first! And also come with the free this or that, and if you call by a certain time you might, maybe, hopefully, wonderfully qualify for a second ABSOLUTELY FREE! But call now!
The lions pounced on the first product with their similar offerings. And they have been ferocious! And to keep up, these second and third and fourth lions must also offer the add-on products that are just as magical and wonderful as the first lion's offerings. It is a virtual tornado of ads and offerings.
There is ferocity all over the jungle! And the lions all appear to be fed well.
Free Enterprise Is A Ferocious Jungle.
There are some great books about how to compete in this ferocious jungle. The book here has been on the market for a long time, and in its 12th printing. It has influenced competitive advantage for businesses and even nations. You can get a book here that identifies how cooperation is necessary for free enterprise to work, even in a jungle.
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