Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
MUJIC TRADE
V O L . X L V I I . N o . 2 3 . Published Every Saturday by Edward Lyman Bill at I Madison Ave., New York, December 5,1908.
Wa
SINGL
S O 10 C CENTS.
SINGLE COPIES,
$ioo°PER VE AR
ellow.
Some years ago, a business man said to me that he never cared what his competitors were
doing—that he was absolutely indifferent as to their plans, for he was producing pianos which gave
him a very secure position.
The man who uttered these remarks has been gathered in by the grim Reaper, and his busi-
ness has been gathered—well, not quite all in, but closely approaching that not-to-be-desired point.
The most progressive men concede that in business it pays to watch your competitors, and
not for an instant allow yourself to entertain the idea that you are above or superior to competition.
The rocks on which a great many men go to pieces—are the rocks of Self-Superiority.
When
a man reaches a point where he considers that he is a little superior to his fellow men, he is on dan-
gerous ground.
He is getting ready to die a business death. The great military chieftains of his-
tory rather over-estimated than under-estimated the strength 'of opposing forces.
In other words,
they prepared for the worst, and when the final test came, they won, simply because they were pre-
pared to meet the enemy's forces by not under-estimating them.
Competition in modern life should really be an incentive—it should fire one's ambition.
One man does not occupy a vantage ground where he is secure from any assaults that may be made.
The man who figures that he is absolutely impregnable, will find to his great discomfiture
that little by little his business strength will be slipping away from him. The great business man
studies competition.
He studies successful business men and successful methods, and adopts those
methods wherever possible in the conduct of his own affairs.
There's a reason for every man's success and a knowledge of how the great men of business—
the captains of industry—have won their position, cannot fail to interest as well as to instruct those
who indulge in the ambition to climb to higher things.
Genius—yes, but less genius than many people think.
It is more every day common sense
and hard work that helps to climb the ladder of success.
Watch the other fellow—yes.
And never under rate a competitor.
'
EDWARD LYMAN BILL.