Inspiration > Competition
Why I don't let the competition bother me
The topic of competition has been on my mind a lot this week.
On Content Creator Confessions, my new podcast project, we discussed it at length — I’ll link the full episode below. I found myself at a creator networking event for the first time in a long time. Annnnd I’ve been doing some competitor research for the podcast studio I’ll be opening in downtown Ann Arbor this month.
You’ll see more on those last two in a vlog soon. :)
Most days, the competition doesn’t get me down. In fact, I rarely even think about them. But to say I’ve never sized myself up against other creators or entrepreneurs would be a complete lie, so here are a few of the things I keep in mind when peeking at what else is out there.
Borrow, don’t steal
I saw a Facebook ad earlier that pitched this as a strategy: find your competitor’s top performing content, transcribe it, then ask ChatGPT to give you new video ideas based off of that text.
And I’m going to be honest, it rubbed me the wrong way.
It probably works super well, so no shade to the creator I guess. But gosh, how boring is that? (And also, how ethical is that?…)
If you’re in the business of content creation or business ownership solely to get rich, you should just outsource your marketing to people who actually enjoy creating.
I view making anything — from an email to a YouTube video — to be an intentional creative act. It’s an expression of self, a proclamation of values, and a valuable touchpoint with your audience. If you’re going to just phone it in, what’s the point?
I rarely look at direct competitor’s content. I feel it dilutes my messaging and strays me away from my unique style. Instead, when I need creative inspiration, I look at creators in other niches. My most watched YouTube channels, for example, are vlogging and political podcast channels. And while I do integrate vlogs into my business and marketing focused channel (and hope to do more vlogging this year), it feels a lot less like “copying” when I borrow a sound technique from a lifestyle creator than lifting an entire marketing topic from another entrepreneur.
View your competition as an example of what’s possible
A former employee introduced the concept of expanders to me years ago, and it’s one of the most valuable things she taught me.
An expander is someone who was once in your shoes, and has since moved on to do the things that you eventually want to do. In other words, instead of looking at people who have what you want as competition, look at them as inspiration.
I think about people like Amy Porterfield. She worked in the corporate world before launching her wildly successful online business. Michel Janse is a YouTuber I adore who found love after divorce. Oprah Winfrey took her broadcasting career and turned it into an empire.
And I meet expanders who are just a few steps ahead of me all the time, too!
The influencer turned author. The business creator turned lifestyle vlogger. The friend who is way better than me at Pilates!
I do not feel envy towards them. Instead, I see them as an example of what’s possible — and permission for me to dream big and try those things, too.
Know your values
It really does all come back to this.
My therapist had me take a values assessment (here’s a free one) when we first started working together, and doing so has truly changed my life.
I was feeling burned out by always-on hustle culture, felt lonely in my relationship, and was unclear on my life’s path. Learning how to connect each of those elements of my life to my values has been such an important skill. It enables me to be sure that what I’m doing is actually what I want to be doing — not what all the people more “successful” than me are doing or what someone else thinks I should be doing.
My top values are:
Inner Harmony
Peace
Health
Creativity
Success
So when someone suggests I jump on a viral social media trend that they know will get me views… I feel disconnected. I’d prefer to post something unique, quiet, and creative — even if I know it won’t garner the same noisy applause.
Therefore, it’s silly for me to compare myself to someone who may value financial success or popularity more than me. We’ll always be working towards a different goal, and I have to honor their purpose, even if it’s different than mine.
Now competing with myself? That’s another story — I struggle with that pretty badly. Maybe that’s another story for another time, but for now, I hope this post inspired you to be a little kinder to yourself, and to others.
Cover Image From: Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon