If a business takes off, suddenly there are copycats. Someone shares a marketing hack they tried, and others try it too. A book is published promising a blueprint or a tried-and-tested method.

Methods, blueprints and formula work for science experiments but rarely for commercial success. It’s a trap. Mark schemes are relevant for regurgitating information onto an exam paper but have little real-world application.

What once worked might not work again. What has never worked before could in the future, if done differently. Early adopters get most of the worms.

Finding old ways to do new things or new ways to do old things is far better than copying another business or idea step-by-step.

They had their triumph, now it’s time for yours.