????敝人曾就職于多家公司，其中有些公司是細(xì)分市場的領(lǐng)頭羊，他們和少數(shù)競爭者短兵相接，不斷追逐市場的龍頭企業(yè)，爭奪市場的主導(dǎo)地位；有些公司則開創(chuàng)了全新的細(xì)分市場。因此，我花了大量的時間去思考和探討競爭這個話題以及激發(fā)競爭活力所需要的戰(zhàn)略。

????所以在此談?wù)勎覍?“先發(fā)制人”的看法。

????許多投資者喜歡投資“后起之秀”（敝人是個例外）。有一個老生常談的說法，早期的領(lǐng)頭羊很容易辨認(rèn)，因為他們是眾矢之的。我深知此中寓意對于公司戰(zhàn)略和一般創(chuàng)新來說都很有指導(dǎo)意義，然而我所投資的領(lǐng)域瞬息萬變，因此看問題的角度也會有所不同。

????我所說的先發(fā)者并不是指廣義上的“市場”先發(fā)者，而是某個“門類”或“領(lǐng)域”的先發(fā)者。在我最近給路透社（Reuters）所撰寫的文章《給企業(yè)家的諫言：你的點子毫無新意》（Note to entrepreneurs: Your idea is not special）中，我指出“付諸行動造就了產(chǎn)品和公司的成功”。

????“谷歌（Google）？并不是第一家搜索引擎。Facebook？并不是第一家社交網(wǎng)。Groupon？并不是第一家團購網(wǎng)。潘多拉（Pandora）？并不是第一家音樂網(wǎng)站。這樣的公司不勝枚舉。即便是軟件行業(yè)的鼻祖：MS-DOS——也不是第一款操作系統(tǒng)。Lotus 1-2-3——也不是第一款電子表格軟件?！?/p>

????所以，我所說的先行者并不是“第一個想出點子的人”。我的意思是，公司在將商業(yè)計劃付諸實施的時候，必須在創(chuàng)新周期中的當(dāng)前階段先發(fā)制人。盡管Facebook不是Web2.0時代的第一家社交網(wǎng)站，但他們以迅雷不及掩耳之勢先聲奪人。2007年，當(dāng)他們首次參加F8 開發(fā)者大會并發(fā)布Facebook平臺時，他們就已經(jīng)確立了先發(fā)優(yōu)勢。iPhone并不是第一臺智能手機，然而一旦它確立了首部高度整合應(yīng)用程序的口袋式計算機的地位，其他對手便難以望其項背，直到安卓手機的出現(xiàn)才打破這一格局。

????回顧創(chuàng)投公司Foundry Group的投資組合，我認(rèn)為我們所投的很多公司都是各自領(lǐng)域的先發(fā)者。有些公司則正與少數(shù)對手爭奪主導(dǎo)權(quán)，因此，先發(fā)者地位的歸屬尚不明朗。在這種情況下，我鼓勵我所投資的公司立即先發(fā)制人。處于桿位（主導(dǎo)地位）爭奪戰(zhàn)中企業(yè)面臨的選擇如下：

????1.如果認(rèn)定某一領(lǐng)域?qū)⒋_立公司的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)地位，加大在這些領(lǐng)域的資源投資力度。最基本的做法是雙倍押注。

????2．并購其中的一家競爭對手或一家業(yè)務(wù)互補性強的公司，藉此實現(xiàn)跨越式發(fā)展。

????3.轉(zhuǎn)行，通常的做法就是重新定義所處的行業(yè)細(xì)分市場。

????如果你不是先進(jìn)者，而某位競爭對手已經(jīng)一騎絕塵，將你遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)拋在了身后，轉(zhuǎn)行往往是最有效的做法。我的時間表一般是6個月，而不是5年。假定市場和產(chǎn)品的更新速度很快，你會有大把的機會來轉(zhuǎn)行。但是，如果已經(jīng)明確確定了要走的路和投身的競爭領(lǐng)域，轉(zhuǎn)行的能力就會有所不同。即便如此，也要勇敢地探索不同的領(lǐng)域，尋找有機會成為先進(jìn)者的細(xì)分市場。

????在我的世界里，終極先進(jìn)者還要數(shù)史蒂夫?普雷楓丹，他是我心目中的英雄之一。這個家伙總是一馬當(dāng)先。早些時候，他的導(dǎo)師，也就是體育用品公司耐克（Nike）的合伙創(chuàng)始人，泰斗級人物比爾?鮑爾曼，曾鼓勵他“改項”，也就是跑3英里賽（5公里）而不是1英里賽。普雷很少失手（一般只有1英里賽除外）而且總是表現(xiàn)優(yōu)異。他從起跑開始就一路領(lǐng)先，挫傷了競爭對手的銳氣。

????以上僅為一家之言，還請各位不吝賜教。諸位如有任何不同意見，敝人愿洗耳恭聽。

????布拉德?菲爾德（@bfeld）是一位企業(yè)家，同時從事創(chuàng)投已有20余年。在合伙創(chuàng)建Foundry Group之前，他還合伙創(chuàng)建了風(fēng)投公司Mobius Venture Capital，在這之前，他還建立了一家名叫Intensity Ventures的公司，幫助軟件公司進(jìn)行營建和運營。布拉德還是創(chuàng)業(yè)孵化公司TechStars的聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人，他的博客地址是http://www.feld.com/wp/。

????I'm involved in a lot of companies, many of which are either the market leader in their segment, fighting head to head with a few other companies for clear market leadership, going after an existing incumbent, or creating a new segment entirely. As a result I spend a lot of time thinking and talking about competition, as well as executing a variety of strategies to address competitive dynamics.

????So I want to address the topic of being a "first mover."

????Many investors that like to invest in "fast followers" (I'm not one of them). There's also a well worn cliche that you can identify early leaders as they are the ones with arrows in their back. While I understand the convention wisdom around this, especially in the context of corporate strategy and general innovation theory, I take a different approach, especially in very fast-moving markets like the ones I invest in.

????When I talk about first mover, I don't think of being a broad "market" first mover, but rather a "category" or "segment" first mover. In an article I wrote recently for Reuters titled Note to entrepreneurs: Your idea is not special I made the point that "the products and their subsequent companies became great because of execution."

????"Google? Not the first search engine. Facebook? Not the first social network. Groupon? Not the first deal site. Pandora? Not the first music site. The list goes on. Even when you go back in time to the origins of the software industry: MS-DOS – not the first operating system. Lotus 1-2-3 – not the first spreadsheet."

????So, when I talk about being the first mover, I don't mean "being the first person to come up with the idea." Rather, I mean that when you begin executing your business, you need to aggressively be the first mover in the current phase of the innovation cycle. While Facebook wasn't the first social network in the Web 2.0 error, they out-executed everyone else dramatically, and cemented their first mover advantage when they launched the Facebook platform at their first F8 developers conference in 2007. The iPhone wasn't the first smartphone, but once it established itself as the first real computer in your pocket with a tightly integrated app economy, there was no looking back until Android started to challenge it.

????When I go through our portfolio at Foundry Group, I consider many of the companies we've invested in to be first movers in their current segment. Others are fighting with a few other companies to be clear leaders, and, as a result, first mover status is ambiguous. In these situations, I encourage the companies I'm an investor in to Do More Faster, right now. If you are in a fight to be in the pole position, you have a few choices:

????1. 1. Invest targeted resources more aggressively in areas that you think will put you in the lead. Basically, double down on your bets.

????2. 2. Buy one of your competitors or a complimentary company that will leapfrog your business ahead.

????3. 3. Change the game, usually by redefining the segment you are playing in.

????If you aren't the first mover, and one of your competitors is steadily leaving you behind in their dust, changing the game is usually the best approach. My measurement window here is usually six months, not five years. Assuming the markets and products evolve rapidly, you have a lot of chances to change the game early on in your life. That ability changes when you've clearly defined your path and competitive universe. But don't be afraid to weave around as you are looking for the segment where you can become the first mover.

????In my little corner of the universe, the ultimate first mover was Steve Prefontaine, one of my heroes. The dude always raced from the front. Early on, his coach and Nike co-founder, the amazing Bill Bowerman, encouraged him to "change the game" by running the 3 mile (5k) instead of the mile. Pre rarely lost (usually only in the mile) and always put in an amazing performance. In the process of running from the front, he demoralized his competitors.

????These are my ideas and I'd love to hear different perspectives. Challenge me on anything you disagree with.

????Brad Feld (@bfeld) has been an early stage investor and entrepreneur for over twenty years. Prior to co-founding Foundry Group, he co-founded Mobius Venture Capital and, prior to that, founded Intensity Ventures, a company that helped launch and operate software companies. Brad is also a co-founder of TechStars, and blogs at http://www.feld.com/wp/