&gt; I think the whole ethos behind a high-tech startup is that you do something well by implementing a novel (in the sense of adoption rate) process or technology.<p>That might be the ethos, but it isn&#x27;t the reality. Most startups aren&#x27;t first movers, and most of the ones who succeed aren&#x27;t either.<p>Throwing in &quot;in the sense of adoption rate&quot; is kind of silly though, no? Every mom &amp; pop shop has its own unique process that hasn&#x27;t been widely adopted.<p>I swear, those Zappos shoes are just like the ones you get on other web sites.