The best time to join is when no one else is joining.
When you're among the first to join.
Because then you can reap the biggest benefits if it really takes off.
The second best time to join is when the people who joined first are leaving.
Because then your toughest competitors will be gone already.
Needles to say that both come with a pretty big risk.
But they also come with a pretty big potential upside...
When you're among the first to embrace something new you can ride it all the way to the top.
If and that's a really big if... if that new thing becomes the next big thing.
On the other hand if you join once the people who joined first are already leaving, then you'd practically have no competition left and you'd have access to the ones who stayed.
Which are usually the most loyal users, listeners, viewers, readers, customers, clients, etc.
And the worst time to join is when everybody else is joining.
Because then you'd end up competing with everybody else who's competing with everybody else.
You'd end up competing with the ones who joined first and everybody else who's now joining when everybody else is joining.
Which is a race you can't possibly win.
A race with a pretty big risk and a very limited upside.
The best time to join is when no one else is joining...