It’s amazing to see how many entrepreneurs assume the status quo when they are analyzing market trends, look for opportunities to introduce new products and services or generally trying to figure out what their startup is all about.
The problem with the status quo is — everyone is looking at it. We forget that our competitors are looking at the same trends, read the same blogs, follow the same people on Twitter, consider the same decisions.
Which is why we had a glut of photo sharing apps after Instagram hit the news; why we had a gazillion chat apps after WhatsApp and Snapchat were all the rage. And why you could go to CES and see more than 50 companies building tablets the year after Apple introduced the iPad. Guess how many of those are still around and/or are making money?
If you want to be ahead of the curve — use the status quo only as your starting point. Extrapolate out from there. Look at emerging trends. Consider the convergence of technologies. Ask yourself: How will this look like in two to three years from now?
If you build for the status quo you will always be at least one step behind.