As a hunter, I’ve spent plenty of time studying bucks, especially the ones with an impressive rack of antlers. There’s a primal awe that comes with seeing a buck sporting a massive set of antlers, but here’s the thing: it’s not the absolute size of those antlers that allows him to protect his harem from other bucks. It’s how his size compares to other bucks in the area.
It reminds me of that old saying, “You don’t need to run faster than the bear, just faster than the next guy.” Survival—and success—is often about being better relatively, not absolutely.
In nature, a buck with gargantuan antlers may actually be at a disadvantage. Those antlers, while intimidating to rivals, also make it difficult for him to remain concealed from predators, like me, the hunter. In trying to be the most dominant, he may unintentionally become the most vulnerable.
This concept applies just as well in the world of business.
Too often, business owners fall into the trap of trying to be the “best in the world.” They strive for perfection—maximizing features, pushing for flawless service, investing in premium everything. And while those ambitions are noble, they come with a cost: higher overhead, complexity, and sometimes even pricing themselves out of their ideal market.
But what if success didn’t require being the absolute best?
What if, like our antlered friend, your business just needs to be better than the alternatives your customer is currently considering?
Why Relative Advantage Is a Smarter Play
Think about the competition in your market. Most customers don’t exhaust every possible option—they make decisions based on what’s easily visible, affordable, and relevant to their needs. If you’re offering a solution that’s just a bit faster, a bit friendlier, or a bit more accessible than the competition, you’re likely to win the business.
And you can do that without having the “biggest antlers” in the game.
In fact, pursuing relative advantage helps you stay lean, efficient, and competitive. It frees up resources to invest in other areas—like improving customer experience, simplifying operations, or investing in staff training.
This is a key idea echoed in strategic business frameworks like Michael Porter’s concept of competitive advantage. Instead of spreading yourself thin trying to dominate every aspect of your market, you’re better off choosing the one or two dimensions where you can outperform others relative to what your customer values most.
Don’t Let Absolute Goals Distract You
Chasing absolute greatness can actually deflect your focus from what really matters—serving your customer better than the other options out there. It’s easy to get caught up in building the fanciest product or offering the most robust service when, in reality, your customer might just want something simple, reliable, and good enough.
Had that buck’s antlers been just large enough to handle rival bucks, he might not have caught my attention. The same goes for your business. You might gain more by being great at the right things, not everything.
Consider this: Netflix didn’t become dominant because it had the best content library from day one. It won by being better than cable TV in how it delivered convenience and cost. Uber wasn’t the best transportation service by every metric—but it was more accessible than taxis.
The Takeaway
You don’t need to be the best in the world. You just need to be better than the rest in the eyes of your customers.
Is your business trying to be perfect, or is it trying to be the best option for your specific customer base?
