The Competition Blues
The Competition Blues
When I first started my coaching business, and ran into other coaches who did similar coaching and were doing really well in their business, one emotion or instinct I felt was a desire to compete. In some ways I felt a bit a threatened, because here were these people who were getting lots of clients and I was going to have to compete against them. It wasn’t until I went to a networking event at a local park and heard, “At this networking group, I learned I didn’t have to think about my relationship with similar businesses as competition because there’s enough work to go around,” that I began to think of competition in a different way. I realized focusing on who I had to compete against was taking away my energy and focus on who it should really be focused on: my clients.
As a published writer, I have sometimes felt competitive about reaching my audience and writing a book on a particular subject before someone else does. Just as with the networking situation, I realized one day that when I focused more on who I was trying to race against in writing a book, I wasn’t writing my book for my audience anymore, or myself. I was writing it to compete against someone else.
As I had these realizations about competition, I began to question what role competition should play in my business and in my writing. I know, realistically, that I do have competition. There’s no doubt that when I focus on a niche market and someone else also focuses on that market, there is some degree of competition. But how much of that feeling of competition is healthy?
Categories: attachment, business, communication
Tags: Change your re-action to action, clients, competition, imagine your reality radio show, is competition healthy, Taylor Ellwood
Hello Rock Artist,
This is an excellent example of competition gone bad. I'm sorry it happened to you. I will actually be doing my next radio show on this topic...next week...and I invite you to call in if you get a chance.
I think you were right to do what you did...Your friend shouldn't try and monopolize business if she also wants you to contribute your art.
Very enlightening. This past summer I had an issue with competition that showed me an example of how people can confuse competition (in business) with loyalty. A friend of mine for six months tried to convince me to get into the business of sewing, and finally I did. She referred me to a shop to sell my products. He loved my products and asked me if I could make them in a particular fabric. I said "of course", wanting to please my new customer, I didn't realize the my friend would be upset because she also used the same types of fabrics and sold to a shop a few miles down the road in another town. When she found out that I was selling the same types of products using the same types of fabrics that she used she was furious and tried to force me to stop selling to him as it was too much competition for the other store (her customer). I tried to explain to her that each store has its own customer base, and our products were not identical so what was the problem? Ultimately it ended our "friendship" because I would not allow her to control what I can sell and to whom. My intention was never to compete with her, since she sent me to this customer in the first place, but her motive was to help me find a customer, but she did not want me selling him the same products that she makes. I understood her position but also felt somewhat loyal to my new found customer and to my business too. How does one handle a situation like that? Was I right? or wrong? Either way it still bothered me since she was so upset by it to end the friendship but I felt the friendship was based on control and not true entrepreneurial spirit of blessing each other and knowing that there are always enough people to go around for everyone.
Very enlightening. This past summer I had an issue with competition that showed me an example of how people can confuse competition (in business) with loyalty. A friend of mine for six months tried to convince me to get into the business of sewing, and finally I did. She referred me to a shop to sell my products. He loved my products and asked me if I could make them in a particular fabric. I said "of course", wanting to please my new customer, I didn't realize the my friend would be upset because she also used the same types of fabrics and sold to a shop a few miles down the road in another town. When she found out that I was selling the same types of products using the same types of fabrics that she used she was furious and tried to force me to stop selling to him as it was too much competition for the other store (her customer). I tried to explain to her that each store has its own customer base, and our products were not identical so what was the problem? Ultimately it ended our "friendship" because I would not allow her to control what I can sell and to whom. My intention was never to compete with her, since she sent me to this customer in the first place, but her motive was to help me find a customer, but she did not want me selling him the same products that she makes. I understood her position but also felt somewhat loyal to my new found customer and to my business too. How does one handle a situation like that? Was I right? or wrong? Either way it still bothered me since she was so upset by it to end the friendship but I felt the friendship was based on control and not true entrepreneurial spirit of blessing each other and knowing that there are always enough people to go around for everyone.
Hello Rock Artist,
This is an excellent example of competition gone bad. I'm sorry it happened to you. I will actually be doing my next radio show on this topic...next week...and I invite you to call in if you get a chance.
I think you were right to do what you did...Your friend shouldn't try and monopolize business if she also wants you to contribute your art.
- spam
- offensive
- disagree
- off topic
Like