CopyCat

My friends have repeated this saying to me several times this week but I’m not convinced.

The world is a funny place. You come up with a good idea and work at it and do the research and hone it and make mistakes and work some more and get things working and then someone comes  along and sees what you’ve done and decides they’ll just copy it.

I’m not against competition and have always taken the view that there is enough work out there for everyone. When people are open and honest there is often a chance to co-operate rather than compete and to create new opportunities.

However when someone just copies your business model, pricing structure and pretty much everything else it’s a bit galling. When they set out to compete in an area where you’re already operating you have to wonder about their motives.

I started wondering if I’d been too open and shared too much and if I should be more cautious in future but then I found this and realised its not me that needs to change.

People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people may accuse you of selfish motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you may win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable.
Be honest and transparent anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People who really want help may attack you if you help them.
Help them anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you may get hurt.
Give the world your best anyway.

Mother Teresa hung this quote on her wall and if it was good enough for her, its good enough for me.

Don’t imitate – innovate!

What do you think?