He's wrong. You have to pay attention to competitors because (a) so many people will ask why you're better, (b) you may be able to get new ideas from them, and (c) even a lame competitor can motivate you to work harder.<p>Getting new ideas doesn't just mean getting ideas to copy. If the competition is really lame, studying them can be a way to learn what's good about what you're doing. Often you're doing something right unconsciously, and don't even realize it till you see someone not doing it.<p>What you don't want to do is change your direction to do something just because competitors are.