Ice Storms, Shade Tolerance, and Competition

The tremendous ice storm last night has put a fine point on this note, since as I write this, 14 inch oak trees are snapping like matchsticks.  It sounds like someone is shooting a shotgun outside your window, followed by the crash of branches and ice.  It’s pretty exciting except for the fact that the power lines snapped, electricity is out, and some people’s cars and houses are ruined.

The cycles of the forest mirror somewhat the cycles of the competitive life science markets.  When the dominant trees in the forest canopy are snapped off, the smaller trees lying under them have the opportunity to gather that newly available sun and shoot upwards.  These shade-tolerant species have been carefully marshalling their resources, preparing for this opportunity.  Similarly market leaders have a period of time when they dominate while many smaller companies grow up in their shadow, each taking a small niche of the market.

Eventually over time the larger companies are weakened a bit, can not respond quickly to a threat, or are devastated by a change in market conditions.  So when the ice storm snaps off their tops, the small companies can quickly move in to take away the newfound sunlight.

While competition often has a negative connotation, I believe it is a good thing and is actually necessary for growth and survival.  The protection the larger trees provided has enabled the smaller trees to grow and develop.  With the market leader taking responsibility for developing markets, responding to investor expectations, and setting customer expectations, the smaller companies can operate with some degree of freedom.  This will allow them to prepare for the time when they will move to the top of the market.

Additionally there are several other areas where the competition provides very useful purposes for developing companies, and we can learn a good deal by looking at them

• Competition shows you where the opportunities lie.  They are selling products and services today that are helping the customers increase their productivity, speed discovery and development, and improve processes.  If you have a better solution you know exactly where to go with it and who will buy it.  The competition has laid out the topographic map for you to navigate by.

• The competition prepares you for the pitched battles over customers.  You can develop your response for when the competition heats up.  When the tip of the spruce tree bumps into a branch of a taller tree, it shoots up several leaders to find a pathway toward the sky.  Similarly you can get your plan B in place by understanding how the competitors operate.

• The competitors will show you how customers are won.  The positioning of their products spells out their strengths and their strategy for winning.  Red maples are quite prolific in wet areas, thus, their strategy for success is clear.

• When the competition falters, you can move quickly to gain an advantage.  When an opening in the forest canopy occurs, it is a full tilt growth race to see who will dominate that space.  The most well nourished, genetically fast growers will win.  Not having the pressure of being at the top will allow you to prepare your resources for this.

During life beneath the big trees, some don’t make it.  But if you are careful with your resources and execute well on a sound strategy your chances are good.  You can prosper and eventually reach a dominant position in the canopy of the market, absorbing a large portion of the sunlight ($$) and further fueling your growth.

So be grateful for the competition, and be shade tolerant until the ice storm weakens the competition and you are ready to reach for the canopy.