Proverb Tuesday: are you the bird or the worm?

by Steven on July 28, 2009

Photo credit: audreyjm529

Photo credit: audreyjm529

Every Tuesday I offer up a classic proverb and decide whether it is relevant to modern business.

Today’s proverb:  The early bird gets the worm.

Yes, but the early worm gets eaten.  So you have to ask yourself: are you the bird or the worm?  As an employee, who benefits from you coming in early, you or the shareholders in your company(hopefully both)?  As a company, are you the early bird, jumping into a market and on the verge of cornering the market?  Or are you the worm, digesting the garbage so a bird can come in later and eat you alive?  Many companies assume the early adopter has the advantage, but it is often the late adopter who crosses the chasm and realizes the profits from the mass market.  Which are you?

Conclusion:  Incomplete.

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