When I started my business 30 years ago, I had no competition. No one had noticed "creatives" as a market and there were very few business coaches.
But that's all changed! Every month there's a new business coach popping up.
Do you also have more competition than ever before?
Sometimes it's not even a person. It could be a piece of software or a robot getting the work instead of you!
That means you really have to be on your toes to stay a few steps ahead. But that's only possible if you know who (or what) you're competing against.
Unfortunately, many creatives have no idea and, truth be told, may not want to know, because it can be depressing. You look at their web site and say to yourself, "They obviously have more (and better!) clients."
I beg you -- please don't fall into that "comparision trap."
Remember, all you can see is their marketing. You have no idea what's really happening behind the scenes. I talk to a lot of people and I can tell you that the picture is rarely as rosy as it looks.
So while you do need to keep an eye on the competition, you also have to be strong enough not to let it discourage you.
In fact, why not let your competition inspire you to grow?
Use what you learn to continuously innovate and evolve your business, which could mean narrowing or expanding your market, refining your positioning or offering a new service.
It's not easy -- but that's what it takes.
Ignorance may be bliss in some situations, but not when it comes to the competition.
I am constantly reinventing and evolving my offerings, my approach and, especially, my marketing -- all of which I find especially creative! In fact, I'm in the middle of a slow-moving reinvention right now -- have you noticed? I wrote about it on the blog this week.
If you are having trouble competing, or it's just time to take your business to the next level and you need guidance or an outside perspective, let me help you. Sign up for my free 30-minute coaching session and we'll figure it out together.