Whenever discussing a business idea, there is inevitably a lot of discussion around competition. How many competitors are there? How big are the competitors? Oftentimes these questions are enough to settle the faith of the idea.
Is this wise? There is increasing recognition that sustainable business growth is vision-driven and that is facilitated by a strong belief in the company's mission. Such growth doesn't come by obsessing over gaining market share in a certain market and is instead customer-centric.
In this context, entrepreneurship should not be seen as a zero sum game. The focus should be maintained on the value created, on innovation and any discussion regarding competition should consider these two elements as key. From this perspective, the largest competitor might be the status quo not a certain company. Competition is not about rivalry, is about challenging the status quo.
The more entrepreneurs acknowledge this, the more they will empower their teams to come up with creative solutions and win-win propositions. These entrepreneurs will find a market and a place for them.
