John Wooden was the greatest college basketball coach in history. The record winning streak of the UCLA Bruins of 88 games, including 10 NCAA titles, gave John, the “Wizard of Westwood” plenty of statistical and practical evidence that the players who start the game are not a big factor in who’s going to win. What counts is staying in the game, playing at full capacity, and doing your best.

Do what you do best and stay persistent!

And so it translates into the game of business. Let’s say you don’t launch a new product or discover a new sales technique before the competition—it doesn’t mean you’re going to lose. Don’t let somebody else’s innovation inhibit you! Remember that your ability has gotten you where you are today. Concentrate on what you do, and don’t slow down because you didn’t get to market first.

Knowing when other’s can help pave the way, take note to their mistakes and learn from them.

Take advantage of being second. Capitalize on the lessons learned from your competition and use the valuable knowledge to make your product or service better. Heck, think about Apple’s success. They didn’t even’t the MP3 player; they simply created one that a community fell in love with. Focus on continuing to deliver excellence, and you will not only gain from the experience, but it’s entirely possible you’ll win the market.