No doubt you’ll have come across the trend in personal development right now of modelling – and I’m not talking the catwalk type. It basically consists of identifying a successful model (person or business) and replicating their actions to generate the same results for you. 

Simple, right? Well, it’s simple enough for tonnes of people to buy into… and still fail miserably at. 

The main reason modelling another person’s or businesses’ actions doesn’t always work is clear: you are not that person, that business is not your business.

Let’s stick in the business sphere for now, in particular retail. I’m blown away by the amount of small/medium brands I see adopting the same strategies made successful by giants of the industry.

If this is you, my message is clear: get your own strategies, and fast.   

Lost in translation

It’s easy to get caught up in major fashion trends, forecasts, and state-of-the-industry reports and assume that the consequences, takeaways and action points are entirely universal.

But they’re not. How much does your brand really have in common with a Chanel or a Louis Vuitton? For one, your resources likely aren’t the same – so is it even possible for you to replicate a strategy built around massive spend, a massive audience and a legacy brand position?

 These ‘winning formulas’ just too rarely translate. They’re broadly relevant, but they’re not relevant enough. There are too many differences between retailers to make applying blanket strategies a fool-proof plan. 

Even small differences can sink a successful strategy when it comes to applying it to your brand. 

Small misalignments = big impacts

I could have picked any number of areas to highlight this point, but, just taking one – the buying process – it’s clear to see how brands can fall foul of imitation.

There are so many opportunities that more agile, smaller brands can take advantage of compared to their counterparts. 

For example, switching sourcing to regions such as Turkey, northern Africa, and even within Europe too, can help smaller retailers out-maneuver the slower-to-change giants buying from China and waiting three to six weeks for shipping. Compare that, if you're in the UK, with getting a four-day shipping turnaround from Istanbul – it makes sense to choose your own path, surely?

Profit or perish

They say imitation is the highest form of flattery. But, when it comes down to it, this isn’t about cosying up to the big names or being seen to act like them – it’s about survival, and that means profit. 

There's a thin line between a million dollar, a multimillion dollar business and completely going under or into debt. All it takes is a bad buying season or any one of the limitless external factors that can dash your plans. 

So, it's even more important for smaller retailers to nail their strategies, because the buffers that the big brands have just don’t exist for them. Margin is their livelihood, every additional product purchased that doesn't sell at full price (and then has to be discounted to sell-through) is affecting that bottom line. 

Own your strategy

The sooner smaller retailers stop chasing the shadows of major brands and start tuning into the real, nuanced needs of their customers, the sooner they'll stop bleeding margin and start building momentum.

Massive brands have billion-dollar safety nets. You have agility, speed, and proximity to your market – use them. 

Ditch the industry playbook. Write your own.

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Latifa Cooper is the founder of Cheetah, a B2B Live Stream shopping Fashion Marketplace made specifically for creators and ecommerce sellers looking to source exclusive premium quality products without the pressure of large order quantities. Removing the risk and uncertainty from buying wholesale.