Evolution, Not Revolution: Why Copying in Business Isn’t Always a Bad Thing

Friday I attended an event that I think is fair to say is primarily geared toward offline businesses. As someone who spends most of their time in the online business world, I couldn’t help but notice the stark differences between the two spaces.

One of the most interesting discussions of the day was around the idea that it’s perfectly acceptable to take someone else’s business model, tweak it, and do it better. In fact, it was encouraged. Business, after all, is about evolution, not revolution. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel - you just need to make a better, smoother, more efficient one.

In the offline world, this is business as usual. It’s accepted, expected even, that businesses build upon what already exists.

But in the online space? Oh boy. The moment someone dares to improve upon an existing idea, the pitchforks come out. Accusations of copying, stealing, and a lack of originality start flying. The irony is that many of these so-called “original” ideas weren’t that unique to begin with - they were just someone else’s idea, repackaged with a fresh coat of paint.

The reality is, business growth often comes from iteration, not invention. Some of the most successful businesses in history weren’t the first of their kind; they were simply the best at refining an existing concept. Facebook wasn’t the first social network. Remember MySpace? McDonald's wasn’t the first burger restaurant. Apple didn’t invent the smartphone - they just made a better one.

So why does the online business world cling so tightly to the idea that every concept must be entirely original? Perhaps it’s because personal branding plays such a huge role, and people feel deeply attached to their ideas. But the truth is, evolution is what moves industries forward. If no one ever improved upon existing ideas, we’d still be using dial - up internet and brick - sized mobile phones.

Instead of seeing someone iterating on an idea as a threat, maybe we should see it as motivation. If someone can take an existing business model and make it better, maybe it’s a sign that there’s room for improvement. And that’s a good thing for all of us.

What do you think? Is there a double standard when it comes to improving upon ideas in the online space versus offline?