The key to success as an entrepreneur is the ability to adapt to change and it’s even more important to know who you are, but of course, be open to changing gears if you’re called to. This flexibility will grant you the utmost success. Here are five reasons you should be laser-focused on yourself and your brand rather than trying to beat your competition. 

Beat your competition or keep your eyes on your own paper?

Only you can do what you do, in the unique way that you do it and when we get caught up in what our peers are doing, or feel as though we need to add something to our repertoire that they are successful with, we can end up on the wrong path. You’ll find yourself pursuing things that don’t really have that much meaning to you or things that are just not your forte. Your path is your own, and you do a disservice to yourself when you don’t follow your true interests.

It’s important to really sit back and think about what your goals are, where your interests and strengths lie and pursue those paths, rather than what everyone else is doing and making money from. The easiest way toward failure is trying to do all the things at once, and when you realize that what you’re working on just isn’t your thing, you can easily slip into apathy and regret, which gets you nowhere. So, the lesson here is to keep your eyes on your own paper, know who you are, what you offer, and how you can best serve your community.

What is for someone else, is not always for you

It’s true what they say, everything is not for everybody. This is an important lesson to learn when you’re building your brand and starting a business. It’s easy to get caught up in other people’s successes. This is especially true when you spend your time in online groups or masterminds. Watching others succeed is a powerful drug. But it can go two ways. Witnessing others succeed can push you to do better yourself. It can also keep you stuck. You may begin to think that what they’re doing is what you should be doing. But oftentimes, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

What is for someone else, is not always for you. It is up to you to do the work to figure this out as soon as possible. Otherwise, you’ll be spending money unnecessarily, spinning your wheels, flitting from one thing to another, and wasting time. This time could be better spent working and doing the thing that is uniquely yours, and ultimately making money from doing the thing that is exactly for you. 

Your journey will be different and that is the beauty of entrepreneurship

How you get to your intended purpose matters, and it may not be the path you initially set for yourself. your journey to success will be different from someone else’s, and that is the beauty of entrepreneurship. You may start out doing one thing that you’re truly passionate about in business, but over time, as you grow, and your interests change or solidify, you may find that you’ve taken a completely different path. You may be doing something related to what you initially started doing or you may be on a different journey entirely.

The beauty is in the journey, it’s where you find out who you are, where you’re going and what you’re made of. It’s ok to take a new path, even when you thought you were dead-set on doing that one thing. You’re human and it is human nature to change and grow. Consider the journey as part of the process and be open to new paths, ideas, and goals. This is, after all, what life is about. 

What is for you will be for you and no one else

We all come into this world with unique skills and throughout our lives, our experiences, background, and personalities shape us into who we truly are. What is amazing about this is that no matter what you do in life, and how similar it is to another person’s version of it, it will never be the exact same business, idea, or story.

It’s easy to think that the world has too many of this or so much of that, but that’s not the reality. The market is not as saturated as you may believe. Sure, there are millions of digital content creators out there, and yes graphic designers are a dime a dozen, but, everyone brings their own individual experiences to their work. How you paint a landscape is vastly different from how someone else does it. It’s your worldview and perspective that make them unique.

Lean into your individuality, and bring your weirdness to your work. What is for you will be for you and no one else. Do your work with passion and the right people – your ideal client, audience, reader – will find you. 

Learn from but don’t try to beat your competition

We all have competition, that’s just the way of the world. And, we may feel as though someone is a better entrepreneur than we are. We may think they’re more worldly, have more resources, more talent, or are just all-around better than we are. This is a dangerous mindset and one that we need to snap out of immediately. Trying to beat your competition should not be your concern. 

Of course, it’s important to know who and what is out there, so you know what unique selling point you can offer your audience. But do not base your business on what your competition is doing. That is a sure path to failure. Learn from your competition, but don’t compete with them.

I’ll do you one better and dare to say that instead of competing, try collaborating. Rather than beat your competition connect with them. What better way to reach new people? You each bring something different, and as you know from above, not everything is for everyone. Your work may resonate with someone that your competition connected you to, and vice versa. Make collaborators, not competitors.

Another important thing to remember is that there is an infinite amount of abundance. By giving up a client or directing them to your competition, because you’re unable to accommodate them, you’re creating space for the ideal person to find you. Plus, when you bend and twist and shape your business to accommodate someone else, you’re giving up who you truly are. It’s inauthentic and does you a disservice. Be who you truly are and you will attract the right people. 

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