If your competitor has a 5-year lead, and is working as hard as you are, or harder, then you are not gonna catch up any time soon. Also yes networking.
That's only true if future improvements are easy to create as past ones, that customers care as much about those improvements, and there are no other differentiators.
For example, many companies do well by selling a less capable but more affordable and available product.
For example, many companies do well by selling a less capable but more affordable and available product.