Maybe it’s because I focus on ‘brand’ rather than marketing, but I’m not a fan of staunch competition between other businesses. It just doesn’t seem like a game you can definitively win. You might be better for 5 minutes until your competitor outshines your business with something new…it’s happening every year with mobile phones, between the likes of Samsung, Google and Apple. Or I might just not focus on competition because I don’t see the millions of others that do what I can do, as my competition. I don’t deny there are better designers and practitioners out there, but they are my peers to learn from and connect with. So I don’t focus on my client’s competition in strategy discovery sessions, because I’d rather your brand look in the mirror and see itself as its only competitor. I want you to understand where your brand has come from, where it’s going, how it can better delight your customers and see your business achieve its goals to thrive. To be crass, I think it comes down to a thick-ass case of 'community over competition'. It’s evidently playing out in a tidal shift amongst online communities of small business owners and creatives. WHICH IS AMAZING! But you’re probably thinking, why does a customer pick me over another, if I’m not worrying about being better than my competition? My response… flip that mentality - you’re trying to be better for you and your customer. Providing a better product/service, better experience, better value, a more relatable personality and story, a more trustworthy brand, a more recognisable and memorable brand, than you were yesterday… 💋✌️ . 👋 🎤 . . . 💥 If you can do that, branding/marketing/business problems can be solved. You might then believe in your value. You might see more customers walk in the door. You might then see your best YOY increase. All the things that help make your business thrive by staying in your lane and forever improving. Share this with someone you can see is distracted by the person standing next to them AND let me know your thoughts below if you’re on board with community over competition, or if you’re a fierce competitor?