Herbivory Defense
Early-stage companies face predation from competitors, customer churn, and market forces.
A seedling is the plant equivalent of a baby gazelle on the Serengeti. Everything wants to eat it.
A seedling is soft, nutritious, and defenseless. Most seedlings die to herbivory in their first year. Survivors have defenses: chemical defenses (tannins, alkaloids) making leaves bitter or toxic; physical defenses (thorns, spines, tough leaves); hiding strategy (staying small, camouflage through insignificance); rapid growth (outrunning herbivory - willows grow 50-100cm first year). Optimal defense depends on herbivore pressure and resource availability.
Business Application of Herbivory Defense
Early-stage companies face predation from competitors, customer churn, and market forces. Defenses include: building moats (chemical defense), creating switching costs (physical defense), staying under the radar (hiding), or growing fast enough to survive attacks (rapid growth). Groupon had no defenses - competitors copied everything.