Steal Like a Strategist: Why Smart Businesses Copy to Win 

We often celebrate originality in business, but the reality is, the companies winning the long game aren’t always first to come up with the “best” ideas, they’re just better at copying. Apple didn’t invent the smartphone, nor did Netflix invent subscription models. Yet both revolutionised their industries by borrowing smart business ideas and adapting brilliantly. For CEOs and senior leadership teams in mid-market businesses, the real question isn’t should we copy, but how do we copy better? 

In my leadership coaching work, this theme regularly bubbles up across sectors – from franchising models and pricing innovation to service design and technology adoption. And after attending a recent 4th Option business strategy network session, one thing was clear: copying is not lazy, it’s strategic. If it is done right, it can actually be a bold move toward market differentiation. 

Copying Is the New Creative 

Steve Jobs once said, “Creativity is just connecting things.” Copying becomes creative when we adapt, remix or reapply something from another context. This idea of “adaptive copying” is particularly valuable for mid-sized businesses that need to innovate fast – and let’s be honest, not that many businesses in New Zealand and Australia have deep R&D budgets. 

This idea isn’t new, The Medici Effect by Frans Johansson explores how the collision of different industries, cultures, and disciplines sparks breakthrough innovation. It’s a brilliant reminder that innovation rarely comes from staying in your lane. https://www.fransjohansson.com/books 

An example that I often share is of Tesla. Its business strategy mimicked the high-end consumer electronics playbook: launch a premium product, then scale down with mass-market offerings. That wasn’t a car strategy – it was an iPhone strategy. Or Coca-Cola, whose self-serve drinks dispensers were inspired by pharmaceutical microdosing technology. 

In my business strategy sessions, I often ask leadership teams: What’s the best idea you’ve seen in another industry lately? Not yours – someone else’s. What made it work? And how could it apply to your business? 

Where Copying Works Best 

Not all copying is equal. The sweet spot lies in bringing outside practices into your business in ways that feel fresh and customer-focused. Here are five areas I coach clients to explore: 

1. Technology transfer – one client adapted scheduling tech from dentistry into consulting, halving admin time 
2. Pricing models – think subscriptions, tiered access, outcome-based models 
3. Business model innovation – reusing proven formats from other sectors 
4. Customer experience design – inspired by hospitality or retail journeys 
5. Strategic patterns – borrowing winning tactics like being second-to-market but best-in-class 

Why Most Leaders Copy Too Late or Too Shallow 

Copying has risks, but so does not copying – or doing it half-heartedly. 

When big airlines tried to mimic Southwest’s model without changing their entire structure, they failed. Jaguar doubled down on EVs just as market sentiment shifted. Copying without understanding the why or the timing can be costly. 

Mid-market businesses tend to fall into two traps (not unlike the slow-moving corporates above): 

• Too slow – waiting until the opportunity has passed 

• Too light – adopting only surface-level tactics without the systems underneath 

As a business advisor and executive coach, I help my mid-market clients see that if they’re going to ‘borrow ideas,’ they need to understand – and often adopt – the full operating logic behind them. You can’t just wear the façade and expect transformation. 

Apply It: Tools for Your Team 

To use copying as a strategic advantage, I suggest these practical steps: 

• Run a “Look Outside” ideation exercise – Ask each SLT member to bring a best-in-class idea from another industry to your next strategy session. This works brilliantly when paired with the IDEAS framework (Imagine, Dissect, Expand, Analyse, Sell), developed by Kaihan Krippendorff to systematically generate innovative strategies.  

• Use the 9Ps Framework to assess your strategic position – Rate your business across the 9 Ps: Positioning, Product, Price, Place, Promotion, People, Process, Physical experience, and Passion. Are you underperforming, achieving best practice, or standing out with true differentiation? Watch Kaihan explain the model here. 

Know the Risks, Lead the Change 

A Wharton study showed that innovations targeting new products and new markets have a 75–95% failure rate. Don’t avoid them, but experiment wisely. Try small and learn fast. As a business consultant, I encourage clients to run micro-tests of any borrowed idea before going all in. 

This is where executive coaching becomes crucial. The Dunning-Kruger effect shows we’re often most confident about ideas we know the least about. So, the CEO’s role is to create a learning space, challenge assumptions, and encourage strategic borrowing – without getting blinded by shiny objects. 

Final Thought 

As I said, copying isn’t cheating, it can indeed be a very smart strategy to get you to where you want to be, quicker. The best leaders aren’t just idea-generators – they’re idea integrators. They listen widely, adapt intelligently, and execute with courage. The great news here is that they can shed that guilt about always having to have the best ideas and/or be the smartest person in the room! 

So next time someone on your team says, “I saw this idea in another industry…”, don’t dismiss it. Explore it because it might just be your next breakthrough. 

 

As a trained practitioner in both the Outthinker IDEAS Methodology and Kaihan Krippendorff’s 9 Ps Framework, I support mid-market businesses to identify untapped competitive advantage, challenge industry assumptions, and scale innovation fast. These tools are part of the broader strategy and executive coaching programmes I deliver to ambitious leadership teams across New Zealand and beyond. Learn more at Two Tides Consulting.