If you try to be trendy, you set yourself up to be replaced. Quickly.

Unfortunately, the shortest path to profit in many fields seems to be getting into the ‘what’s hot right now’ business.

It’s much smarter to create something that is useful, necessary, and desirable.

Making yourself or your product indispensable and timeless doesn’t lead to complete irreplaceability, but it certainly comes closer than any alternative.

Update: December 16, 2016

Said another way: be the person who sets the trends rather than the person who follows them.

Also: zigging while everyone else is zagging is trickier, and you will look idiotic to most people most of the time, but it’s typically a better long-term choice.