Compare to Compete, Not Condemn: Cultivating a Nuanced Entrepreneurial Mindset

The entrepreneurial path can be full of unexpected impediments. Few are more toxic to the spirit than Over-Comparison. It usually starts early on in the journey during the market research phase. We start to poke around the internet looking for info on our competition but soon find ourselves falling down the Instagram Doom-Scrolling vortex examining glossy competitor content. All the while we are allowing self-doubt in as we imagine the amount of work we would have to put in just to close.

"Why does their offering seem slick and popular while mine still feels amateurish?"

You have to remember that Social Media platforms curate and nourish the illusion that everyone else is rapidly finding fame and fortune with almost no effort or stress. But the reality is that these highlight reels rarely show the arduous task of foundation-building that goes on behind the scenes. Rather than judging your 1st day to someone else’s day 500, understand that comparing entrepreneurial journeys can serve an uplifting purpose when used intentionally. The key is cultivating nuance. Here's how.

Channel Comparisons to Fuel Healthy Competition

Carefully examining competitors helps reveal what your audience truly desires so you can meet unmet needs. Studying their customer experience flows, pricing models and aesthetics provides market intelligence to sharpen your own offering.

Tracking their organic content strategy offers inspiration for topics and formats that resonate both for affirmation and in finding gaps. Where are they missing opportunities to nurture their community with value?

This form of comparison can help to light a fire under your efforts to continually improve and challenge the status quo. Setting your sights on respected industry figures ignites ambition to reach and exceed their level through your product or service. The desire to move your mission forward gets strengthened when you see possibilities manifest from your investigations.

Beware Unhealthy Comparisons

The entrepreneurial path also attracts unhealthy comparisons. These are often rooted in scarcity, jealousy and impatience. The good news is... you can avoid this by choosing to shift your mindset. Viewing the success of others as somehow limiting your own potential achievements is a direct result of not properly cultivating the way you think about your business. There is infinite room for every business to flourish through creative competition. By virtue of the fact that man is not perfect it is safe to assume that there will always be an opportunity to improve on the current customer experience regardless of the industry, product or service. Never assume that you should achieve success in the same way as some outlier who gets to tell their story on one of your favorite podcasts. This will start to breed unrealistic expectations about YOUR growth. Don't tether your self-worth to the arbitrary external metrics of flashy YouTube videos. Keep in mind that progress flows from patience and consistent effort. Your version of success will differ greatly from someone else. Allowing yourself to envy the financial freedom or lifestyle perks others flaunt will inevitably plants seeds of bitterness causing you to make decisions that in YOUR best interest rather than the best interest of YOUR CLIENTS. Celebrate the wins of your competitors genuinely with the understanding that you are an indirect beneficiary of that success because you can use that data to help you refine your product or service.

Create Healthy Community, Not Competition

The hardest thing for entrepreneurs is enduring the long hours and rollercoaster sacrifices without support. It is difficult to watch your peers sprint ahead if you don't understand what they are doing to get that advantage. Don't lose site of your goals by falling into the trap of jealousy. Here are some ways to to prevent that fall.

• Rather than vilifying those farther along, choose to learn from them.

• Spend some time identifying peers who authentically want to see you thrive too.

• Choose to build each other up through struggles without appeasing egos or racing to some finish line.

• Share challenges and breakthroughs to refine perspectives.

The entrepreneurial marathon spans years requiring a resilient mindset to complete. So harness comparison to fuel your fire, not consume it. Focus on daily progress, not pie-in-the-sky pinnacles. And lay foundations through community, not isolation.

Now Get Out There and Get At It!!!

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