Being the Pioneer
March 26, 2008 Posted by MattawAs my first guest post on TylerCruz, I want to start things off with a bang! A concept that I want to touch on is being a pioneer in any given field. This concept has its merits and disadvantages, and is a crucial factor in a businesses success.
Firstly, it has its disadvantages. You make all the mistakes, if you are the pioneer. Everything you try out with your website is new and hasn’t been done before. Unfortunately this means that there is no data to look at to have any idea of the impact of your decision. If yours is a good one, it will obviously have a good effect, but if it’s a bad one, you have no idea what kind of effect it will have on your website. It could be one that could cripple your website in one blow, the point is you never know.
Also, this means you have to establish the brand image. Although it will be easier to set up a brand in the niche, you have to establish the product and the need for it. In many cases you may see you “diamond in the rough” but others may not. You will have to spend money on advertising to “educate” the public about your product. Seriously, how many people saw the absolute need for a cell phone when it first came out? Today many people consider one an essential part of business for both communication and networking. We now know that using a cell phone gives you much more flexibility in terms of communication. You can be on the go and still be taking care of important issues.
The point I’m trying to make is that people didn’t see this for the longest time. Granted that the phones of old were larger and clumsier. Another factor that can daunt the pioneer is the fact of size of market.
In many service oriented or product oriented markets, you have a critical “catch 22” that you have to solve. Many markets need people to sue their products for it to be appealing. For example, what use is a cell phone to you if you don’t know anyone else that uses one? Taking this into account, the problem that has to be solved is how do you get people to use it so that others will. How do you give it that kick start? The answer is usually costly.
This being said, being the pioneer also has its extreme advantages. You are the first in the field, so your website or product is the default “go-to” website or product for anyone that is the target demographic of your niche. You are also a step ahead of your competitors and you have knowledge of “hidden” or unforeseeable risks that your competition (that will invariably follow if you’re successful) could encounter.
This means if you’re selling a product or charging for ad space, you get to keep “all the profits”. What does this mean, it means that you can charge more for your product or ad space than if you had competitors in the field. Competition usually means lower prices and smaller margins. If you’re the pioneer then you can charge larger margins and you can be the price setter for your new “niche” or product.
For example, we can use the Entrecard system. The new pioneers in the system that are selling their credits will sell them for a much higher rate. I can guarantee the first person to sell 1000 Entrecredits sold them for much more than they are going for now. The people that are selling them now are going to be making more now than they will in the future. As the need for credits grows more people will offer them and this will invariably drive the price down (sorry for using Entrecard all you readers that don’t like them!).
Also being first or a forerunner in an industry allows you to stay one step ahead of your competition. Think about it, they have to start from square one while you are already established and have something going for you. This allows you to put more resources into R&D (research and development), while your competition has to put that money into developing the whole system you already have. This makes it much harder for that competition to overtake you if you keep on developing new ideas or twists for your product or website.
In conclusion, the pioneer in an industry obviously has its advantages and disadvantages. Overall it is a positive thing. If it looks like it’s going to be big and you do a good job of marketing it and getting it out there you will almost certainly earn some money. Do you have a great idea for the next Facebook or JohnChow out there? If so, get off your couch (or anything else you’re sitting on) and start working!
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This post was guest posted by Mattaw of Moneybites.com (feed). Moneybites is a make money online blog that gives helpful tips and tricks about how to earn online.
5 Responses to “Being the Pioneer”
Being a pioneer, and an expert in a specific subject does carry a lot of weight. People will listen more to you, and once the subject picks up in popularity, then you have a loyal audience.
I Agree. Not only will you have higher original margins but that subscriber base or following you have will make future startups easier.
Your newer startups will be easier to start off due to the fact that you will have some sort of user base to draw on to help them get off the ground.
I agree with all your points Mattaw, i think that being a pioneer in any field has its advantages. More visitors, more revenue, more knowledge, and more recognition.
This concept flows seemlessly into traditional business models, too.
It is great to be a pioneer, but one must remember that even pioneers come up against people who think they know more or better. I have come across this several times, and it’s hard to argue with someone who “thinks” they know it all.
The best way I have found to take care of this is to just ignore them, because most just want the debate or argument, and when they don’t get it they go away.
Ronnie