Page 12 - The Bootstrapper Bible

ChangeThis Whatʼs a bootstrapper to do? Big companies have better distribution, access to money whenever itʼs needed, a brand that customers trust, access to the people who buy, and great employees. Theyʼve got lots of competition, big and small, and theyʼve sharpened their axes for battle. Kellogg’s is willing to pay a bribe… to get plenty of space at the supermarket. Do you have a chance to succeed? No. Not if you try to compete head to head in these five areas. Not if you try to be just like a big company, but smaller. If you try to steal the giantʼs lunch, the giant is likely to eat you for lunch. Inventing a new computer game and trying to sell it in retail outlets would be crazy— Electronic Arts and Brøderbund will cream you. Introducing a new line of sneakers to com- pete head to head with Nike at the core of its market would be suicidal. You have to go where the other guys canʼt. Take advantage of what you have so that you can beat the competition with what they donʼt. Many bootstrappers miss this lesson. They believe that great ideas and lots of energy will always triumph, so they waste countless dollars and years fighting the bad guys on their own turf. | iss. 6.01 | i | U | X | + | h 12/103 f