2. They’re the improvers, not the movers
The notion that the first to bring a product to market is the one who succeeds is a myth. According to a study that looked at over 50 product categories, those first to market—called movers—failed 47 percent of the time, while improvers failed only 8 percent of the time. Mr. Grant didn’t think his student’s e-commerce eyewear company would succeed because he took too long and got beat to market, but that’s because he was taking the time to do it creatively and in a way that would make people comfortable with buying glasses online. “To be original, you don’t have to be first. You just have to be different and better,” Mr. Grant said in the talk.