Competitors or collaborators?

We’re all in this together. Every business has competition, but that doesn’t mean those competitors are necessarily enemies.

I know I’m not the only copywriter in town. I know this because I belong to several professional organizations, at meetings of which members take turns introducing themselves and their businesses. Every time, there are plenty of others who stand up and give a pitch that sounds unnervingly like my own. It takes confidence not to feel like chopped liver.

But what saves me from curling up like a billbug in the face of so much competition is the idea that there is plenty of success out there for all of us. It may sound too “woo-woo” for some, but having a world view built around the concept of “abundance” versus “scarcity” sure works for me. There is an enormous need for good writing and clear communication in the business world, and if I were the only one doing it I would get very lonely and be forced to spend too many weekends working instead of backpacking.

Many so-called rivals have turned out to be my best resources. Fellow writers I’ve met through Capital City Communicators have sent me referrals, subcontracted for me, hired me to subcontract for them, and given me priceless feedback about my work.

When Justin Beller founded the Treasure Valley Consultants Network early this year, people said he was being waaay too idealistic. “C’mon, that’ll never work. You’ll never be able to get consultants to talk to each other.” But the results have been wonderful. TVCNet is where I met the brilliant Sarah Lewis, who developed this site for me. Conversations with fellow members led to the formation of my first business book writers workshop (more to come on that subject!) and a number of strategic alliances with professionals whose specialties complement mine.

That old metaphor of the marketplace as a jungle where only ruthless predators succeed just doesn’t hold up, at least not in the world I live in.

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