As an entrepreneur or small business, you biggest competition is apathy. If you make enough noise for someone else to copy you, you’re on the right track. When you’re starting out, don’t worry about a big company deciding to replicate your business. Worry about pleasing your users and building something that solves a problem for them.
Once you realize that your biggest competitor is no one caring, you have to get creative. You have to try something new to get some attention and build trust.
The same goes for getting a job. The biggest obstacle is that the company doesn’t care. They don’t have the time to be looking for you. How can you get on their radar in a meaningful way so that they start caring? Maybe you suggest a better way for them to market a product. Provide value before asking for value. Showing that you care and that you can help is going to help you overcome the fierce battle with apathy.
Great point! Read something the other day that said you have a good idea when you tell people and they are divided between hating it and loving it. It makes them feel something. Joe from Airbnb said something similar on How I Built This – people thought he was CRAZY that strangers would stay in your house!! Tons of people hated the idea…
Another relevant quote… The opposite of love is not hate, but apathy.
True! That is a really good point. It’s scary to come out with something and to be met with people hating it. But, polarizing is memorable. Joe Gebia was right, the people in disbelief were not.