Comments on: Forget About The Competition

By: Marian Schembari

Marian Schembari — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:32:43 +0000

I am so happy SOMEONE finally said all this! By worrying about our competition we are by very definition being completely unoriginal. Be brave people!

p.s. I heart your blog

By: Lia

Lia — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:49:36 +0000

I have been reading through posts since Friday night when I discovered your blog (Via Liene @ Splendid Thoughts). Thank you, thank you for sharing. Starting off in such a competitive industry and forging your own way is a challenge. Not being like the competition has always been my M.O.
I am in love with all the great and inspirational information you are laying out for us!

By: McCallum Solutions » Archive » Prezi and forgetting the competition

McCallum Solutions » Archive » Prezi and forgetting the competition — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:19:15 +0000

[...] forgetting the competition A few days ago Sean Low put up a great post on his blog entitled “Forget about the Competition” , inspired by a Facebook post by Rebecca Grinnals , herself inspired by a piece from [...]

By: Heather gardner

Heather gardner — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:06:37 +0000

Great post!

Very poignant as I have been struggling with balancing my business with what is acceptable and what is important to me. So, I sat down the other night and created a list of what I wanted my business to represent and I realized that my personal compass is all I need.

As always, thank you for your valuable insight and your ability to share with the rest of us.

Best,

Heather at La Dolce Vita Weddings

By: Merci New York

Merci New York — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:50:16 +0000

Sean,
Awesome post. As someone who just quit their “corporate” career to pursue their own creative business, this post takes on a whole new truth. When I made the switch, analyzing the competition remained an active and viral part of my day-to-day, because it was what I knew from the “corporate” world. But I’ve noticed that all-in, it was really just detrimental to my creativity- and distracting to my goals and vision.
Think on the positive- follow the fire in your belly – and forget about what everyone else is up to. Only you know how to do what you do best!
Thanks for a great post.
-Jacqueline at Merci New York

By: Kesha

Kesha — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:42:31 +0000

This is AWESOME stuff. I think you just gained a new subscriber!

By: Evan Reitmeyer - MyDeejay.com

Evan Reitmeyer - MyDeejay.com — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:42:12 +0000

Another great post, Sean… you are just killing it!

I’ve seen the effects of this “competition obsession” firsthand, and how negative it can be for a business owner who is only focused on their competitors. Other business owners can spot this from a mile away, and it’s hard to respect an entrepeneur who is more focused on someone else’s business than his (or her) own.

That’s not to say that competition isn’t good and that you can totally ignore your competitors’ existence. I feel motivated by my competition every day – not by the things they are doing, but just in the sense that it pushes me to keep innovating. In my mind, if you’re only copying someone else’s ideas, you might as well find something else to do with your time. Your clients can spot a fraud in an instant, and you won’t be nearly as excited about your business because it’s not really yours.

Thanks for another thought-provoking post, Sean!

~Evan

By: Rose Elliot

Rose Elliot — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:42:10 +0000

Great article, I have had countless people buy from me and then put the items on their site or ebay. Also have had people ask me to make something they saw on another site, to which I reply, they should buy it from them as I won’t copy another persons work.

By: Tom McCallum

Tom McCallum — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:34:22 +0000

I caught Rebecca’s tweet too and replied on her FB page something along the lines of “I don’t have any competition, I’m unique!”.

You do raise a very important point though, and that is the difficulty of fitting yourself “in the box” if you do provide a unique service. I just spent several days in Scotland around a fantastic conference (GlobalScot.. business diaspora), and my elevator pitch refined down to that I provide “strategic creative insights”. Hmm.. how to fit THAT in a box !?

You and I are both business advisers and consultants, but with very different skills and insights we can provide to our clients. The trouble is, it makes no sense to either the consultant or the clients to put everyone in the same box… so where what we do is not a ‘commodity product’, it does indeed, as you point out, require investment in getting the RIGHT clients…

I do love your thoughtful posts…right, back to my own creative business

By: Alison Kelly

Alison Kelly — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:33:14 +0000

Love this line Sean: “You do not sell wire hangers for a living”

Great post and a great reminder to all. A while back I was mildly-obsessed with what everyone else was doing. When I realised it was the same stuff over and over and … over, I weeded out some places of inspiration and re focused. I re focused on my finding my own voice and finding what truly makes me happy.