Skimming through my inbox today I almost had one of those ‘oh no’ – (in fact it was a little more graphic than that!)
Announced in the on-line publication #Start-Up Smart were two new business courses – I felt sick.
Established companies, clever names, fancy pages, great mentors. In terms of product and marketing I give them a Tick Tick Tick.
But, deep breath – instead of thinking my Bizness Blitz Start-Up Course is over before it has begun I must heed my own advice – the advice I give to my students. That is, if you have a strong USP (Unique Selling Proposition) – it doesn’t matter how many people are in the market place. If you have a niche you have a market. I tell people if you make the pie bigger and tastier, there is plenty of pie to go around for everyone.
So – on further analysis, the courses have been set-up by two businesses incubators Pollenizer and BlueChilli. Now there guys are definitely in completion with each other – they deal exclusively with web and mobile based businesses requiring big budgets to launch. But they do not directly compete with me. I want to help build and grow micro enterprises who start small and crank up to be the size that suits their lifestyle.
That does not mean and I can sit back and watch – indirectly they are competitors. I need to continue to improve my Start-up Course, make sure my USP and pitch are clear and ensure I am accessing my target market with my messages.
While competitor awareness is ok – it’s best to focus on your business rather than give your attention to your competition and feel threatened by whatever they are doing. At some stage you may be confronted with a competitor who has access to more resources than you. Don’t be fearful, be determined – I’m feeling a little bit of both at the moment!
PS: My next Start-Up Course begins on the 1st of September.
