Competition sucks

I’m a very competitive person. You do not want to play Trivial Pursuit against me because I’m full of odd info and I like to win. However, I’m not a jerk about it. I know how to lose gracefully and if someone can beat me at Trivial Pursuit, then I have huge respect for that person. I also have lots of respect for people who will even try to beat me at that game, because they have courage and spirit. Trivial Pursuit, however, is a game–I think competition is great in games and sports.

Competition sucks, however, in business…from the businessperson’s perspective, I mean (for the consumer, it can be a very good thing).

Okay, competition doesn’t always suck in business, but more often than not it does. Why? Because most people can’t balance respect and competition very well. It’s difficult to keep respecting your competitor when money is on the line–somehow money warps perspective and before you know it, you’re hating your competition.

If you look at the people who share your industry as competitors, you’re going to have a harder time being an effective business person. It puts you into a generally reactionary position rather than an active one. You start worrying about what your competition is doing and stop focusing on what you are doing. Your choices become framed in response rather than innovation. All not good.

Instead, I think it is better to look at others in your industry as colleagues. No one is going to get all the business, no matter what, and if your business is unique, then it will have its own space in the market–you won’t have any real competition.

I run my business this way. This is why I’ve had long conversations with people like Suzanne Sease and Selina Maitreya and others–we’re colleagues. We each have our own way of working and our own thoughts and we respect each other.

I sometimes see it in photographers too. I just had someone today thank me for working with another photographer from his city. How great is that?! How open! Instead of seeing this other photographer improving his business as a threat, he was honestly excited for his colleague.

Take some time today to see if you’re doing more reacting or more acting/innovating. If you’re more on the reaction side, take some time to refocus your business on itself (and off others).