Early Adoption: The Guts & The Glory.

Necessity has been deemed as the mother of all inventions. True, but what good is invention if it is not adopted to fulfill the necessity that gave birth to it in the first place? That’s where a special subset of technology adopters come into the picture. Everett M. Rogers called them ‘Early Adopters’ and defined them as a group of people who are at the start of the line to try out new products in the market before the general populace makes it to the store.

We, at GeekyAnts, are found at the front of the line every time when it comes to giving new tech a shot, and quite proudly so. In the words of Mr. Rogers, we are ‘Early Adopters’. It is this early adoption that gave us the kick that we needed to develop expertise within the domains and tech that we work with and build an organization around it. Needless to say, deciding to be early adopters was one of the best decisions we ever made

But that isn’t always the case.

The underlying sense beneath us running towards new tech like mad dogs as soon as we catch a scent is quite simple. It excites us. We’re curious beings and the sheer idea of getting to tinker with a new toy that has just surfaced in the market does make us act like little kids but that’s where all the fun is. We love to make and break things with new tech. We open things up and pack ‘em up again, only to open them again and this is a sentiment that every early adopter in the market shares.

This constant process of relentless experimentation made us pioneers in tech like React, React Native, Flutter, Angular etc and helped us set up a business around it. Yes, there’s glory in it all but no tech remains new forever. It’s a fast paced world and new things come up every day, which leads some people to believe that sticking to one forte that works is a good idea, that sticking to what works and what’s trusted is the safest route. Slow and steady growth, they say. 

Through two perspectives where both make sense, which one do you align towards? Before turning heads, it’s sensible to weigh the two.

Being the first through the door.

Being the first through the door always carries the risk of being subjected to the unknown, but the unknown can be a ray of sunshine or a thunderbolt. Experimenting with new tech can help develop expertise in the next big thing while the world struggles to catch up, but it could also lead to a bust if the tech fails to deliver. We’ve had our share of ups and downs with new tech as well. Some proved to be extremely useful to us and the rest, not so much.

Setting Expectations Right.

One major benefit of being early adopters, that we also experienced, was being able to understand a product or a tech from the perspective it was originally designed to assume and witness its evolution to cater to the needs of the user base. This provides a clear picture on the expectations of the market and can be extremely beneficial for an organization, especially products, if this information is utilized properly. Sticking to established technology leaves little room for exploring new markets and widening reach.

It’s Good For Business.

Any person with adequate grey matter would agree on the fact that relying on established technology is good for business. It allows better resource utilization, time saving and drives a person or a company towards a niche. Experimenting with new technology creates a somewhat shaky ground for people who are looking to establish a strong foundation for a business. The constant fluctuation can delay the process of finding a stable foundation. Being a late adopter also offers the benefit of picking exactly what works for you and discarding what doesn’t.

Right on! But if such is the case, how did we do it? is a question that I’ve been asked more times that I can count, and the question is a good one. Within such uncertainty, how did we manage to build a company and be successful while tinkering with whatever new tech comes in the market?

I think it all boils down to assessment.

Every new technology is put in place to solve a purpose and you are in the market to use that tool and amplify the ‘purpose solving’. We played with React & React Native and realized that it could help us create impeccable digital solutions and built a service company with it at the foundation. With the #nocode sphere maturing, we understood the needs of the market and created BuilderX, which caters to the users within that sphere. We’ve really rocked the boat that was sailing on smooth waters and moved in and out and between a lot of tech. It all began with JavaScript. We loved it. Then we moved to JQuery, and loved it too. Then came Knockout.js, Angular and all its iterations over the years, React, React Native and now we have our eyes on Svelte.js & SwiftUI. Our early adoptions have become our trusted tech and that is the path that we follow.

In hindsight…

Deciding between being early adopters and late adopters is a game. It’s a gamble which may get you a plethora of benefits and at the same time make you pay a heavy cost. The fact of the matter is that it all comes down to assessment and perspective that a company or an individual holds. It’s a thin wire to walk on that requires delicate balance and some impeccable business decisions.

I want to leave you with a final thought that might help you find that balance.

“Toys break all the time, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get new ones.”