Tom Matthews
“Good artists copy; great artists steal.” This provocative phrase, often attributed to Pablo Picasso but popularised by Steve Jobs, encapsulates a profound idea about creativity, innovation, and success. While on the surface, it may appear to endorse plagiarism, a deeper dive reveals that it actually speaks to the essence of transformative creativity—an idea that is equally relevant to artists and entrepreneurs.
Entrepreneurship, much like art, is about creating something valuable from scratch. It’s about innovation, problem-solving, and delivering solutions that resonate deeply with people. So how does this concept of “stealing” apply to entrepreneurship? Let’s explore this idea in more depth.
1. Understanding the difference between copying and stealing
First, it is crucial to understand what it means to “copy” versus to “steal” in a creative context. Copying is a direct and often shallow imitation—it’s taking someone else’s idea and reproducing it without adding anything new or original. On the other hand, “stealing” in this context means taking the essence of an idea and making it your own by reimagining, reinventing, or integrating it into something new and unique.
In entrepreneurship, copying is akin to cloning an existing product or business model without differentiation. It may lead to short-term success, but it often fails to be sustainable in the long run because it lacks originality and a unique value proposition. Great entrepreneurs “steal” by borrowing concepts, models, or strategies and adapting them to create new value in a way that aligns with their vision and market needs.
2. “Stealing” ideas and innovating
Innovation rarely happens in a vacuum. Entrepreneurs often draw inspiration from multiple sources—whether it’s other industries, competitors, or historical business strategies. The key is to reframe and reinterpret these inspirations to create something novel. For instance, Steve Jobs was known for his ability to take existing technologies or design philosophies and apply them in ways that created entirely new markets or transformed industries.
Consider how the iPhone wasn’t the first smartphone, but it was the first to redefine what a smartphone could be, drawing inspiration from various technologies and user interfaces and combining them in a revolutionary way. Jobs didn’t copy; he “stole” the best ideas, integrated them, and elevated them into something transformative.
3. Leveraging existing frameworks
In the start-up world, there’s a reason why frameworks like Lean Start-Up, Design Thinking, and Agile are popular. These methodologies weren’t invented from scratch but rather were developed by building on existing theories, practices, and concepts. Entrepreneurs “steal” these frameworks by adapting them to suit their specific needs and challenges.
Take Airbnb as an example. The company didn’t invent the concept of short-term lodging, but it did “steal” the existing idea and reframe it with a peer-to-peer model that democratised the process, making it accessible and appealing to a global audience. They borrowed from other sectors, like social networks and e-commerce, to create a platform that transformed the way people think about travel and accommodation.
4. Creating a unique value proposition
The act of “stealing” ideas doesn’t imply a lack of originality. On the contrary, it requires a deep understanding of the original idea’s value and a vision for how to enhance, transform, or apply it in a way that solves a unique problem. It’s about adding layers of differentiation that resonate with your specific audience.
For entrepreneurs, this often means studying competitors, identifying gaps in the market, and understanding the unmet needs of customers. It means taking what’s already there and making it significantly better or more relevant for your target audience. It’s about blending different inspirations to carve out a unique identity for your product or service.
5. The ethical dimension of “stealing”
It’s important to distinguish that “stealing” in the sense that great artists and entrepreneurs do is not about ethical misconduct or intellectual property theft. It’s about recognising valuable insights, re-contextualising them, and bringing them to life in a way that is authentic and unique. Ethical entrepreneurship respects originality while recognising that most ground-breaking ideas are born from a confluence of pre-existing knowledge, experiences, and inspirations.
Conclusion: be a great “thief”
To be a great entrepreneur, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Instead, be strategic about what you “steal.” Look for great ideas, insights, and concepts that resonate with your vision. Then, adapt them, transform them, and make them your own. Understand your market deeply, embrace a culture of curiosity and continuous learning, and don’t be afraid to draw from the best of what exists.
Remember, “good artists copy, great artists steal.” In the world of entrepreneurship, it is those who skilfully “steal” ideas, innovate upon them, and craft them into something profoundly new and valuable who truly stand out as great. After all, innovation isn’t about where you take your ideas from; it’s about where you take them to.
