--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's harder than ever to build an…" description: "\"It's harder than ever to build an enduring company. As soon as a product strikes a nerve with customers, competitors emerge globally because the costs ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c43/alfred-lin-54630_because_it-s-harder-than-ever-to-build-an-enduri_1971386.jpg" --- # It's harder than ever to build an enduring company. As… ![“It's harder than ever to build an enduring company. As soon as a product strikes a nerve with customers, competitors emerge globally because the costs to start are so low.” quote by Alfred Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c43/alfred-lin-54630_because_it-s-harder-than-ever-to-build-an-enduri_1971386.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c43/alfred-lin-54630_because_it-s-harder-than-ever-to-build-an-enduri_1971386.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c43/alfred-lin-54630_because_it-s-harder-than-ever-to-build-an-enduri_1971386.jpg) > “It's harder than ever to build an enduring company. As soon as a product strikes a nerve with customers, competitors emerge globally because the costs to start are so low.” [Alfred Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Building a lasting company is increasingly difficult because low entry costs let competitors copy successful products worldwide. **In simple terms:** Low barriers make competition fierce. Key Takeaway Focus on sustainable advantage. Themes competition innovation business strategy Mood cautious strategic Type business advisory When to use this quote - startup launch - product scaling - market entry - global expansion Key Concepts network effects first-mover advantage brand loyalty Questions to Reflect On - How can you protect your product? - What long‑term value can you create? A Different Perspective Even with a great product, maintaining differentiation is hard. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Costs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/costs/) [Strikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strikes/) ## Related quotes > [“ The Delusion of Lasting Success promises that building an enduring company is not only achievable but a worthwhile objective. Yet companies that have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-rosenzweig/the-delusion-of-lasting-success-promises-that-building-an-enduring/) Phil Rosenzweig > [Making an enduring company was both harder and more important than making a great product.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/making-an-enduring-company-was-both-harder-and-more-important-than/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [Build something with enduring value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hybels/build-something-with-enduring-value/) [Bill Hybels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hybels/) > [Listen to your customers, not your competitors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-spolsky/listen-to-your-customers-not-your-competitors/) [Joel Spolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-spolsky/) > [The opportunity to build an enduring product far outweighs the cost of alienating a few users along the way. And the sooner you internalize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/the-opportunity-to-build-an-enduring-product-far-outweighs-the-cost/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [Obsess about customers, not competitors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/obsess-about-customers-not-competitors/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [As an immigrant, my wish is that we fix immigration. At Sequoia, we've backed a number of exceptional founders that were born abroad but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lin/as-an-immigrant-my-wish-is-that-we-fix-immigration-at-sequoia-we-ve/) [Alfred Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lin/) > [To be competitive globally, we have to reduce the corporate tax rate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ryan/to-be-competitive-globally-we-have-to-reduce-the-corporate-tax-rate/) [Tim Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ryan/) > [The Asian brand, which I admire for having become a global success, is Samsung. In comparison, we're just starting, but I believe that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tadashi-yanai/the-asian-brand-which-i-admire-for-having-become-a-global-success-is/) [Tadashi Yanai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tadashi-yanai/) > [By making all my materials freely available through 'Giving 2.0' ProjectU, I am on a mission to extend philanthropy education to colleges globally and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-arrillaga-andreessen/by-making-all-my-materials-freely-available-through-giving-2-0/) [Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-arrillaga-andreessen/) > [I realized that social media can be powerful force for good in the world and that acts of kindness can be scaled globally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-jo-martin/i-realized-that-social-media-can-be-powerful-force-for-good-in-the/) [Amy Jo Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-jo-martin/) > [Maternal health remains a staggering challenge, particularly in the developing world. Globally, a woman dies from complications in childbirth every minute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-capshaw/maternal-health-remains-a-staggering-challenge-particularly-in-the/) [Jessica Capshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-capshaw/) > [Issues of energy, climate change, nuclear arms control and non-proliferation are all big deals. These are problems that we have to get right globally,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-holdren/issues-of-energy-climate-change-nuclear-arms-control-and-non/) [John Holdren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-holdren/) > [I don't think it's any different if I'm in the U.S. or in London. I look at operations globally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahid-khan/i-don-t-think-it-s-any-different-if-i-m-in-the-u-s-or-in-london-i/) [Shahid Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahid-khan/) > [The Hawaiian language needs to be studied globally as a language of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cary-hiroyuki-tagawa/the-hawaiian-language-needs-to-be-studied-globally-as-a-language-of/) [Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cary-hiroyuki-tagawa/) ## More by Alfred Lin > [As an immigrant, my wish is that we fix immigration. At Sequoia, we've backed a number of exceptional founders that were born abroad but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lin/as-an-immigrant-my-wish-is-that-we-fix-immigration-at-sequoia-we-ve/) [Alfred Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lin/) > [It would be great if companies could just magically know what I'm looking for on their website or what I'm coming to the website…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lin/it-would-be-great-if-companies-could-just-magically-know-what-i-m/) [Alfred Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lin/) > [I wanted to be a venture capitalist and join Sequoia Capital. They've financed and helped built some really special and enormously successful companies, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lin/i-wanted-to-be-a-venture-capitalist-and-join-sequoia-capital-they-ve/) [Alfred Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lin/) > [Businesses are not just local or even national anymore - good ideas are immediately global. So the market opportunities are much larger than we've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lin/businesses-are-not-just-local-or-even-national-anymore-good-ideas-are/) [Alfred Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lin/) > [I think if companies start reinventing themselves and focus on the customer experience more, they will win out in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lin/i-think-if-companies-start-reinventing-themselves-and-focus-on-the/) [Alfred Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lin/) [Explore all 6 Alfred Lin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lin/) ## More Because quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. 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I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [I was also known as Frodo because I was an early adopter of 'The Lord of the Rings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-was-also-known-as-frodo-because-i-was-an-early-adopter-of-the-lord/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [I believe in taxation and health care that is outside the usual libertarian mandate, because I don't want people to have to suffer. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-believe-in-taxation-and-health-care-that-is-outside-the-usual/) [Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/) > [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. Shakespeare is just like learning a new, exciting language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barnett/it-s-like-saying-french-shouldn-t-be-taught-because-you-don-t/) [Samuel Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barnett/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [Sometimes, when full and in fear that I will continue to eat unwanted food just because it's staring at me, I will place my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-nichols/sometimes-when-full-and-in-fear-that-i-will-continue-to-eat-unwanted/) [Rachel Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-nichols/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' 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I accepted it for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suresh-gopi/i-was-contacted-by-rajyavardhan-singh-rathore-mp-through-the-pune/) [Suresh Gopi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suresh-gopi/) > [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) Browse all 15,485 Because quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's harder than ever to build an enduring company. 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