There are no medals for pioneering.
In the song titled “#1”, Nelly asks (himself) “What does it take to be number one?” Boasting that he already is number one, he leaves the question unanswered, to go on by rapping: “Two is not a winner, and three nobody remembers.” Recite this (in your mind) with a thick St. Louis accent for optimal results.
In entrepreneurship, there are many times where you explicitly don’t want to be number one. Pioneering is hard. Heck, paving the way is super tiring and risky. You do all the hard, inglorious work. Stuck with your boots in the mud, digging for gold. Only for somebody else to enter later and reap all the benefits. Bootstrapping from a garage can (mentally) feel like being out there in Klondike.
If you absolutely must pioneer. Think twice and stock up on plenty of energy, fuel, and courage. There may have been more than one fictitious claim in Nelly’s hit record but sometimes, two is a winner, and three everybody remembers.