---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every time I started a business and the…"
description: "\"Every time I started a business and the people told me I was an idiot, I ended up making a lot of money. Si Redd used to say me, \"Boy, you gotta be whe..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c4/bob-davids-67005_areas_every-time-i-started-a-business-and-the_1806626.jpg"
---

#  Every time I started a business and the people told me I…

![“Every time I started a business and the people told me I was an idiot, I ended up making a lot of money. Si Redd used to say me, &quot;Boy, you gotta be where they ain't.&quot; What that means is that you find areas of low competition because high competition means lower margins, and lower margins mean less…” quote by Bob Davids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c4/bob-davids-67005_areas_every-time-i-started-a-business-and-the_1806626.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c4/bob-davids-67005_areas_every-time-i-started-a-business-and-the_1806626.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c4/bob-davids-67005_areas_every-time-i-started-a-business-and-the_1806626.jpg)

> “Every time I started a business and the people told me I was an idiot, I ended up making a lot of money. Si Redd used to say me, "Boy, you gotta be where they ain't." What that means is that you find areas of low competition because high competition means lower margins, and lower margins mean less profit. So we were always looking for places where we can be unique. If the thinking is out-of-the-box, people may not understand because they have not seen it before... Therefore you are an idiot.”

Bob Davids

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He argues that success often comes from operating in underserved markets where competition is low.

**In simple terms:** Find niches with little competition.

Key Takeaway

Seek low‑competition opportunities for higher profit.

Themes

entrepreneurship strategy niche markets

Mood

analytical pragmatic

Type

strategic motivational

When to use this quote

- starting a startup
- investing in new tech
- consulting services

Key Concepts

market analysis competitive advantage innovation

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you validate demand in a niche?
- What risks accompany entering an untapped market?

A Different Perspective

Low competition may indicate low demand or high risk.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Boys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boys/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Competition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competition/) [Idiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idiot/) [Lots of money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lots-of-money/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Profit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profit/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [Ask any keeper what it's like when there's a recognised No. 1, the competition might not be as high. You're after that competition because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-butland/ask-any-keeper-what-it-s-like-when-there-s-a-recognised-no-1-the/)

[Jack Butland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-butland/)

> [If you mean to profit, learn to praise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-churchill/if-you-mean-to-profit-learn-to-praise/)

[Charles Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-churchill/)

> [If you mean to profit, learn to please.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/if-you-mean-to-profit-learn-to-please/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [Every game is tough for me because the level of competition is so high in the Premier League, and every time you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gervinho/every-game-is-tough-for-me-because-the-level-of-competition-is-so/)

[Gervinho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gervinho/)

> [The bottom line is that it's the NFL, and there's going to be competition wherever you go. That's the way I look at it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-tolzien/the-bottom-line-is-that-it-s-the-nfl-and-there-s-going-to-be/)

[Scott Tolzien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-tolzien/)

> [We always have great practices, and the competition is high, and the intensity is high; it's just about doing that now in a game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-anthony-towns/we-always-have-great-practices-and-the-competition-is-high-and-the/)

[Karl-Anthony Towns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-anthony-towns/)

> [I've been winning with 70 percent of the vote, and if you look at my district, you know it's a majority Christian district, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ellison/i-ve-been-winning-with-70-percent-of-the-vote-and-if-you-look-at-my/)

[Keith Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ellison/)

> [At the end of the day, dividends are not being paid with margins; dividends are paid with earnings per share.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-kaeser/at-the-end-of-the-day-dividends-are-not-being-paid-with-margins/)

[Joe Kaeser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-kaeser/)

> [ As a whole, \[changing\] is deflation force that is being underestimated. Whether each person thinks of it in the context of the word deflation… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-moelis/as-a-whole-changing-is-deflation-force-that-is-being-underestimated/)

[Ken Moelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-moelis/)

> [Give God the margin of eternity to justify himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-reginald-haweis/give-god-the-margin-of-eternity-to-justify-himself/)

[Hugh Reginald Haweis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-reginald-haweis/)

> [I learned how to draw from being bored in school. I would doodle on the margins of my paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-nealon/i-learned-how-to-draw-from-being-bored-in-school-i-would-doodle-on/)

[Kevin Nealon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-nealon/)

> [Edge also implies what Ben Graham…called a margin of safety. You have a margin of safety when you buy an asset at a price…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mauboussin/edge-also-implies-what-ben-graham-called-a-margin-of-safety-you-have/)

[Michael Mauboussin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mauboussin/)

> [I learned that you can't write a book in the margins of your life. I'd forgotten how much uninterrupted time it takes to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-harris-perry/i-learned-that-you-can-t-write-a-book-in-the-margins-of-your-life-i-d/)

[Melissa Harris-Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-harris-perry/)

> [He should release the tax returns tomorrow. It's crazy. You've got to release six, eight, ten years back tax returns. Take the hit for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kristol/he-should-release-the-tax-returns-tomorrow-it-s-crazy-you-ve-got-to/)

[William Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kristol/)

> [My folks tried to make a preacher of me and missed by a narrow margin… I would have made a good one if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/my-folks-tried-to-make-a-preacher-of-me-and-missed-by-a-narrow-margin/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

## More by Bob Davids

> [The size of your key ring is the size of your headaches. Si Redd once told me, "Every time you buy something you sell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-davids/the-size-of-your-key-ring-is-the-size-of-your-headaches-si-redd-once/)

Bob Davids

> [I’m gone for eight months…If you feel that it’s critical to contact me, that I get involved in your problem, what I want you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-davids/i-m-gone-for-eight-months-if-you-feel-that-it-s-critical-to-contact/)

Bob Davids

> [The biggest shortage in the world is not oil or food-it's leadership. Why is it such a scarce resource? Because egos get involved. Most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-davids/the-biggest-shortage-in-the-world-is-not-oil-or-food-it-s-leadership/)

Bob Davids

Explore all 4 Bob Davids quotes

## More Areas quotes

> [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/)

[Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/)

> [I am somewhat influenced by the years that I've spent trying to actually get things done, whether it was reforming education in Arkansas or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-am-somewhat-influenced-by-the-years-that-i-ve-spent-trying-to/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [The earliest language was body language and, since this language is the language of questions, if we limit the questions, and if we only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/the-earliest-language-was-body-language-and-since-this-language-is/)

[Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/)

> [This ball was so crowded that it took me - a trained professional journalist with vast experience in this area - forty five minutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/this-ball-was-so-crowded-that-it-took-me-a-trained-professional/)

[Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/)

> [People don't want to believe that technology is broken. Pharmaceuticals, robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology - all these areas where the progress has been a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/people-don-t-want-to-believe-that-technology-is-broken/)

[Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/)

> [It's absolutely fun to walk around and have people respect you. When Michael Jackson did Thriller, I was in the park one day, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-ross/it-s-absolutely-fun-to-walk-around-and-have-people-respect-you-when/)

[Rick Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-ross/)

> [Software will get to be somewhat more mature, ah, but it will never be as predictable as most areas of engineering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/software-will-get-to-be-somewhat-more-mature-ah-but-it-will-never-be/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [If I were entering adulthood now instead of in the environment of fifty years ago, I would choose a career that kept me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/if-i-were-entering-adulthood-now-instead-of-in-the-environment-of/)

[Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/)

> [The discrepancy between what actually happened and the version of what happened provided by sources is an enormous gray area.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jay-epstein/the-discrepancy-between-what-actually-happened-and-the-version-of/)

[Edward Jay Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jay-epstein/)

> [Louisville is a place with no labels. It’s not the South, it’s not Chicago, and you don’t think of it as you think of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-james/louisville-is-a-place-with-no-labels-it-s-not-the-south-it-s-not/)

[Jim James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-james/)

> [It turns out that this part of the brain is one of the first areas that's attacked by Alzheimer's disease. So we can now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-keefe/it-turns-out-that-this-part-of-the-brain-is-one-of-the-first-areas/)

[John O'Keefe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-keefe/)

> [Engaging the city around us and ministering to its needs reveal to us the remaining bastions of sin in our lives, the areas we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-chandler/engaging-the-city-around-us-and-ministering-to-its-needs-reveal-to-us/)

[Matt Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-chandler/)

> [I believe it is a mistake to isolate arms control from other areas of policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/i-believe-it-is-a-mistake-to-isolate-arms-control-from-other-areas-of/)

[Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/)

> [Well, the U.N. Security Council resolution 1973 is very clear. It says all necessary measures to be taken to protect civilians and civilian areas.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-jackson/well-the-u-n-security-council-resolution-1973-is-very-clear-it-says/)

[Mike Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-jackson/)

> [When in one area of the world the standard of living and the size of the middle class increases, it is going to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-lagarde/when-in-one-area-of-the-world-the-standard-of-living-and-the-size-of/)

[Christine Lagarde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-lagarde/)

Browse all 2,612 Areas quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Every time I started a business and the people told me I was an idiot, I ended up making a lot of money. Si Redd used to say me, \"Boy, you gotta be where they ain't.\" What that means is that you find areas of low competition because high competition means lower margins, and lower margins mean less profit. So we were always looking for places where we can be unique. If the thinking is out-of-the-box, people may not understand because they have not seen it before... Therefore you are an idiot.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bob Davids"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-davids/every-time-i-started-a-business-and-the-people-told-me-i-was-an-idiot/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Areas"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-davids/every-time-i-started-a-business-and-the-people-told-me-i-was-an-idiot/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c4/bob-davids-67005_areas_every-time-i-started-a-business-and-the_1806626.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c4/bob-davids-67005_areas_every-time-i-started-a-business-and-the_1806626.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c4/bob-davids-67005_areas_every-time-i-started-a-business-and-the_1806626.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Every time I started a business and the people told me I was an idiot, I ended up making a lot of money. Si…” — Bob Davids",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Bob Davids",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-davids/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Every time I started a business...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-davids/every-time-i-started-a-business-and-the-people-told-me-i-was-an-idiot/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-davids/every-time-i-started-a-business-and-the-people-told-me-i-was-an-idiot/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
