Do Not Reinvent the Wheel—Follow a Business Model That Works

I just finished reading Let Them by Mel Robbins, and apart from all the golden advice she drops, what really stood out for me was how she built her brand. Before she became a household name in motivational speaking, Mel had hit some serious lows—alcoholism, financial debt, feeling completely lost. When she began her speaking career, she didn’t try to reinvent the entire motivational industry. Instead, she reached out to speakers who were already doing well and asked for advice.

They told her three simple but solid things:

1. Create a portfolio website with photos of her on stage, a clear description of her keynote, and takeaways.
2. Collect testimonials from past event planners to build credibility.
3. Use social media to show up, share moments, and promote her brand consistently.

Now, even though Mel’s secret sauce was her raw vulnerability, honesty, and deep empathy, she didn’t discard the proven formula. She built her brand by anchoring it in a system that already worked, and then infused it with her unique voice.

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Too many first-time entrepreneurs feel the pressure to be radically original—to build something no one’s ever seen before. But let me say it plainly: every great idea lives within a category. Innovation doesn’t mean starting from zero. It means recognizing what already works and improving on it.

There’s honor in originality, yes. But following an existing business model doesn’t make you a copycat—it makes you smart. You’re not stealing. You’re standing on the shoulders of giants.

Your idea might be groundbreaking, but chances are high someone else has danced with a similar version of it. That’s not a red flag. It’s validation. If other people are doing it—and thriving—then your vision isn’t just a fantastical daydream. It has real-world potential.

Even Einstein didn’t pull the theory of relativity out of thin air. His genius built upon the foundational work of other brilliant minds like Lorentz, Poincaré, Minkowski, and Grossmann. They created the tools; he tweaked and elevated them.

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Let me take you back to my own journey.

When I was dreaming up my first business—creating a space where creatives and professionals could work, ideate, and recharge together—I thought I was birthing something completely new. I envisioned this vibrant community: people working on their own stuff under one roof, taking breaks for drinks and chats, recharging as a collective. I even thought through the pricing model: hourly, daily, or monthly, based on client flexibility.

My “aha” moment felt like a revelation… until I Googled it.

And boom—co-working spaces. Not only were they already a thing, but dozens existed across Kenya—two being very successful right in my county. For a second, my heart sank. I thought, “Well, there goes my big idea.” But then, something shifted. I realized I didn’t need to be first. I just needed to be relevant and distinctive.

I started digging deeper and found Jamie Russo’s podcast Everything Coworking. She had already walked the road—failed, learned, refined, and built a rock-solid business in Chicago and Palo Alto. She even served as the CEO of the Global Workspace Association. Through her model, I found a blueprint that was detailed, transparent, and realistic. She’d made the mistakes for me—and documented how to avoid them. What a gift!

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Here’s the truth:
Your competitors? They’re your first mentors.
Their models? That’s your first playbook.

So, study their moves. Understand their pricing, their processes, how they serve customers, how they market. Then ask: What would I do differently? What can I do better?

That’s how you create a powerful brand—not from scratch, but from strategy.
Learn the rules. Master the game. Then bend or break them as needed.

Because the wheel doesn’t need to be reinvented.
It just needs someone like you to make it roll smoother, faster, and farther.