MARKET PSYCHOLOGY FOR ENTREPRENEURS

Are You Scared of Niching Down?

Think again. Nature shows us that specialization beats competence

Nick Alva
4 min readJul 31, 2024

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Photo by Sharavanan Raja on Unsplash

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Let me first tell you a story. An ancient story:

While serving under the Duke Ai of Lu, T’ien Jao, resenting his obscure position, said to his master, “I am going to wander far away like a snow goose”.

“What do you mean by that?” inquired the Duke.

“Do you see the cock?” said T’ien Jao in reply.

“Its crest is a symbol of civility; its powerful talons suggest strength; its daring to fight any enemy denotes courage; its instinct to invite others whenever food is obtained shows benevolence; and, last but not least, its punctuality in keeping the time through the night gives us an example of veracity. In spite, however, of these five virtues, the cock is daily killed to fill a dish on your table. Why? The reason is that it is found within our reach. On the other hand, the snow goose traverses in one flight a thousand li. Resting in your garden, it preys on your fishes and turtles and pecks your millet. Though

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Nick Alva

History, art, geography lover 🌍 Copywriter for museums and cultural institutions 📚 Co-founder of copyandculture.com ✍️