In typical 37signals fashion, the wisdom in these pages is edgy yet

CHAPTER
 
COMPETITORS

---

Don't copy
Sometimes copying can be part of the learning process, like when you see
an art student replicating a painting in a museum or a drummer playing
along to John Bonham's solo on Led Zeppelin's "Moby Dick." When you're
a student, this sort of imitation can be a helpful tool on the path to
discovering your own voice.
Unfortunately, copying in the business arena is usually more nefarious.
Maybe it's because of the copy-and-paste world we live in these days. You
can steal someone's words, images, or code instantly. And that means it's
tempting to try to build a business by being a copycat.
That's a formula for failure, though. The problem with this sort of
copying is it skips understanding--and understanding is how you grow. You
have to understand why something works or why something is the way it is.
When you just copy and paste, you miss that. You just repurpose the last
layer instead of understanding all the layers underneath.
So much of the work an original creator puts into something is invisible.
It's buried beneath the surface. The copycat doesn't really know why
something looks the way it looks or feels the way it feels or reads the way it
reads. The copy is a faux finish. It delivers no substance, no understanding,
and nothing to base future decisions on.
Plus, if you're a copycat, you can never keep up. You're always in a
passive position. You never lead; you always follow. You give birth to
something that's already behind the times--just a knockoff, an inferior
version of the original. That's no way to live.
How do you know if you're copying someone? If someone else is doing
the bulk of the work, you're copying. Be influenced, but don't steal.
https://t.me/Books_Encyclopedia 

---

---