Product Superiority Is Hard to Verify, but a Founder’s Own Commitment Is Not

Originally published 2021-10-25Robin’s commentary (as of October 2021)

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Collected in Robin Shen’s Field Notes · Content type and attribution are shown above

English translation of the Chinese post originally published 2021-10-25. Translated 2026-11-04 with AI assistance. Historical figures and claims have not been updated or independently verified. 中文原文

Reading guide

Robin asks founders to explain their secret advantage and winning strategy, then answer a more concrete question: how much will they personally commit? Will they leave their job or put in their savings? Others are more likely to follow once the founder takes the plunge. The article refers to two approaches: a product far beyond every competitor’s, or a completely different form of innovative value that disrupts a market. Robin says he finds both claims hard to verify. One thing is easier to verify: whether the founder has gone all in first.

Key points

Founders need to commit first before others will follow.
The article refers to two approaches: a far-superior product or innovative value that disrupts a market.
Product superiority is hard to verify, but a founder’s own commitment can be verified.

One clear path continues into the distance among several branching routes, suggesting choice and focus. — Entrepreneurship & strategyThematic illustration · AI generated

Full text — English translation

What is your secret to building this business? What truly sets you apart? What will allow you to outperform every competitor in the market by a wide margin? What is your winning strategy? Once you have explained what makes you different, your secret advantage, your winning strategy, your innovation, your disruption, your vision, your mission... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... The next key question is how much you will invest in this project. Will you quit your job, put in your savings, take out loans, or even mortgage your home? You have to take the plunge first before others will follow. Otherwise, it is all just wishful thinking. The article describes two approaches. One is a product so far ahead of every competitor that it cannot even be measured on the same scale. The other is to offer a completely different form of innovative value and thereby disrupt a market. I find it hard to verify whether either claim is true. But one thing is easy to verify: whether you have gone all in and taken the plunge yourself.

These articles are personal notes, book excerpts, and collected reprints. Figures and events reflect the time of the original publication, are not current information, and do not constitute investment advice.

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