Mari and I moved into this house last February.

But only last week we got a delivery from Ikea and were able to complete our kitchen.

Initially, we had big plans for a bespoke solution, including a breakfast bar we could sit at and chat while drinking our morning coffee. Also, the house has some history, and we wanted the new kitchen to celebrate that with its materials and style.

As soon as we were in, we began reaching out to local artisans and furniture makers. Half of them didn’t even pick up the phone. Most of the others were too busy for the foreseeable future. A few told us they would call us back but never did.

Only one came to the house to take some measurements. Said they would send us a drawing and a quote in a few days. We got them two weeks later. The solution didn’t match any of our requests, and the quote came in way over our budget. We never got back to them; they never raised the phone to see what went wrong.

We chose Ikea because we love our house to look like someone else’s house arranged differently.

We went with Ikea because of the quality of their chipboard and the exposed zinc-plated screw-heads.

We went with Ikea because it’s affordable. Affordability is a great thing, but it means something different for everyone.

No, we went with Ikea because we knew they’d keep their promise to finally help us get that kitchen done.

You may think you need access to some secret resource or mastering some obscure skill to thrive. In truth, you could be doing anything. Just keep your promises, and enjoy zero competition.