Despite what they say, entrepreneurs don’t necessarily have to be competitive to win.
I was raised in a competitive environment.
My sister–who is many times naturally smarter than me–was always setting the standard. I also played high level sports, where we were bred to compete. In high school, we competed as much in academics as much as we competed in sports. That leaked over into a competition for where to go to college.
Once I got to college, I started a business. I quickly found myself competing against others doing exactly what I wanted to do.
But I was missing the point.
This isn’t always about competing head to head.
Most often, we have to think about what we can do better than others.
Most importantly, we have to think about what we can do differently than others.
Where can you go that they’re not at?
Zig when they zag. Go where they ain’t.
Find the gaps and fill them. Spending more time and focus on doing something different will set you far apart from those looking only to do something better.
Be different.
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Photo: Flickr/Nicolas Alejandro
