Episode 127: Dealing With Local Competition

"As soon as you plant a flag, people will start shooting" - Mel Siff, author of Supertraining, told me that nearly 20 years ago. Innovators and entrepreneurs are often forced to deal with the bad habits of their competitors. When owners are scared, they do shady things: they email clients at other businesses and offer them deep discounts. They copy blog posts and videos. They even make fun of other owners online--can you imagine a more transparent cry for help? Original ideas are sometimes ridiculed by jealous competitors. Out of ideas themselves, they throw rocks because it's the only tool they have. And even businesses serving a similar niche can compromise their core values when they're scared of losing money. But take heart: no competition is forever. And if they're copying, criticizing or complaining, it means you're winning. All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. Arthur Schopenhauer For this episode, I asked members of the TwoBrain family to share their best advice on dealing with local competition. I took the first ten responses, and our producer compiled them into a very entertaining and helpful episode. These are the opinions of their contributors, not necessarily TwoBrain. They're uncut and--in some cases--very raw. But on this topic, like all the others, I believe in radical transparency. Thank you to our contributors: 6:08 - Erik Lipetz of Celebration CrossFit 9:02 - Chris Lomen (formerly of Sabertooth CrossFit) 11:26 - Tammy Friedt of CrossFit TPA 11:54 - Jay Rhodes of CrossFit Outlaw North 13:47 - Dianne Koske of CrossFit Oyster Point 16:10 - Paul Richards from CrossFit Hutt Valley (NZ) 18:06 - Shely Propst of Rising Strong Fitness 19:40 - Ashley Bridges from CrossFit NIKA 21:30 - Coop on Copycats 24:30 - TwoBrain Stories: Jay Rhodes (this is a HUGE ONE)