Repeating Others' Success: A Blueprint for Your Side Hustle in 2025

The Secret of Repeating Success

Repeating what others have done successfully is your ticket to success. In the programming world, there's a saying, "Don't reinvent the wheel." But this rule doesn't apply everywhere.

The logic behind "Don't reinvent the wheel" is that if there's already a tool or product that can meet a certain need, you should just use it instead of spending time and energy on creating a similar or even inferior one. However, from the perspective of learning, competing, or making money, you can't think this way.

"Don't reinvent the wheel" is more about using existing resources. For example, if there are many tools available for starting a fire, you don't need to make one for yourself, unless you want to enter the market.

When it comes to using tools, we should follow the "take what's available" approach or consider the cost. For instance, if the cost of using a tool is much lower than the cost of developing it, you should just pay for it. Otherwise, you can develop it yourself.

Take AI local deployment as an example. Currently, it's not necessary for individuals and most companies because the effect of local deployment is poor, and achieving good results requires high costs. There are already excellent cloud services provided by cloud providers, with lower costs and better technology. So, there's no advantage in self - development. Of course, companies with high - security requirements for sensitive data still need local deployment.

Choosing the Right Path for Side Hustles

For individuals looking to make money, it's often better to do what others have already done, rather than deliberately choosing uncharted territory. There's a saying, "Blockbusters are repetitive." The reason is that human nature is repetitive, similar, and relatively stable.

Don't stop writing a certain topic just because someone else has written about it. Don't give up on creating similar articles, tutorials, tools, products, or services just because others have done it. If a product sells well, has many buyers, and generates a lot of traffic, it means there's a market demand for it. On the contrary, if a product has slow growth and few buyers from the start, it may not be a good direction.

For most ordinary people, there's no need to rush into so - called blue - ocean markets. Choosing a niche market in the red - ocean market might be a better option. The blue - ocean market means fewer participants, an immature market, and imperfect rules. There are indeed great opportunities and dividends, but at the same time, most people will end up as "cannon fodder." Since there are few pioneers and little experience to imitate and refer to, you have to explore and make mistakes on your own.

In contrast, the red - ocean market has accumulated a wealth of experience, and you can see many successful and failed cases. So, if you're an ordinary person who wants to make money, you should start with a relatively mature market where others have achieved success. Then, find a small niche within it to focus on, which is like finding a small blue - ocean in the big red - ocean.

Overcoming the Mindset Barrier

We've been taught to value innovation since childhood. From a moral or cultural perspective, we strongly oppose copying and plagiarism. This is exactly why many ordinary people have difficulty making money. They're restricted by this concept and are reluctant to do such things. In fact, this is the starting point for making money.

If you can't even copy well, innovation will be even more difficult. Unless you're willing to invest a lot of money in trial and error, most people will end up as "cannon fodder," and the probability of success is extremely low. Innovation requires capital investment. You should focus on starting a business as much as possible, not innovate just for the sake of innovation. Don't let so - called face issues leave you with nothing.

It's important to note that the "copying" here mainly refers to replicating others' successful paths, borrowing their models, and learning how they achieved success. It doesn't mean copying others' content or products completely. After all, there can be more than one bun shop in the world. It's normal to do the same business.

Daily Reading & Writing by Xiaolu 2025.04.13 [day587]