Marilyn Jenett
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Metaphysical Marketing Workshop
Compete
or Complete?
Imitation is
the sincerest form of flattery.
~ Unknown
A member of a network
posted her dilemma. She claimed that another women to whom
she had offered much guidance and advice was now imitating everything
she was doing in her business and taking business away from her. She
said that this other woman spent all of her time trying to “emulate”
her.
The definition of "emulate" is to strive to equal or excel, especially
through imitation, to rival with some degree of success, to compete
with successfully; approach or attain equality with.
I expressed my opinion of the matter as follows:
The issue is not this other woman. The issue is your
belief in
competition, the belief that there is not enough in this abundant
universe to go around. The issue is a deep seated fear that this woman
can do you harm. That is based in a lack consciousness, not a
prosperity consciousness. The only danger here is that your fears will
take root and result in a self-fulfilled prophecy.
The truth is that she cannot harm you or take anything from you. In
fact, I believe she has now become the "teacher." She is presenting you
with a wonderful opportunity to learn the higher laws of life - and
success.
What a tribute and testimony to you that she has taken your guidance
and advice and is turning it into her own success. How flattering that
she chooses to emulate you. You are her mentor. This is indeed a
tribute.
I would advise you to turn your thinking around and look at it all from
a new perspective. Are you good at what you do? Yes? And why are you in
business? You are in business to offer valuable service and to make
money doing so.
If this woman really is copying or emulating you, then she must be
offering something of value also. If so, she deserves to prosper. You
taught her to do this. You were her teacher, her advisor. Why would you
not want her to succeed? (It's that ol' fear rearing its head).
Get into your mind - and really understand this - that there is more
than enough to go around. There is plenty of business, there are plenty
of customers, and plenty of money in the Universe. There is room for
others besides you to offer the services.
If you will turn your thinking around to wish her well (I don't care if
you have to grit your teeth at first to do it!) and stop considering
her a threat in any way, you will be delighted to find more business
seeking YOU out.
It is important that we reach a point in our businesses where we
understand the vast benefits of thinking creatively and not
competitively. It's the point where we realize we are complete within
ourselves and our business is nurtured by the Universe. We only gain
when we wish the same for others that we wish for ourselves - and that
means for our "competition" too.
I had a major life lesson
in this some years ago...
This is a chapter titled "Complete or Compete" from my memoir, Feel Free to
Prosper: an Entrepreneurial Memoir of Synchronicity and Guidance,
Marilyn's
Memoir, and this
was my lesson...
When I founded my company, I was considered a pioneer in the industry -
one who created the idea of a location company for events. My
inspiration came from the film location companies which were extremely
common in Los Angeles. But no one had ever had a location company for
parties and events before. It was another industry entirely. So I was
influenced and I guess you could say I "copied" the concept of booking
locations from the established film location companies.
However, my business had a unique twist and didn't compete with them -
and that uniqueness is what brought me worldwide publicity. I often
mentioned in publicity that I got the idea from film location
companies. Did I copy the idea? Yes, I believe so. It wasn't meant to
flatter, of course, but I sensed an opportunity - a missing link that
had not been addressed - and I hit gold. So I was guided to take an
existing, established idea and make it different and better for another
purpose.
On occasion I actually used the services of these film location
companies. In fact, they provided all of the mansions I booked in Los
Angeles for the Campbell Soup promotions in 2004 to 2006, since there
were different requirements than those for a typical one day event. We
all profited.
If you can't
say something nice...don't say anything at all.
~ Thumper in Bambi
(1942)
At the time I created my business, there was a woman who owned a late
film star’s home in Beverly Hills. Although the home had a celebrity
connotation, it had “old Hollywood” décor and was really not the most
appealing - there were so many more beautiful mansions to book. My
clients didn't care for the home but I continued to show it along with
the others because I wanted to help her.
The owner became upset because they wouldn't book it.
So just a few years after I started my business...she decided to become
my only competitor and went for it full force. We even ended up in a
feature story in the Los Angeles Times together, in which they depicted
us as "rivals." Prior to that time, I was the only game in town - in
the world, in fact :-)
So...there was now someone who copied my concept, went after the same
venues (I didn't really want exclusives), some of the same clients and
even created the name for her company that started with one letter
before mine in the alphabet, so that she would be above my company in
the trade publications.
This was truly one of the greatest business and spiritual lessons of my
life. Although it ruffled me at first, when I "lifted" myself above the
situation, I realized that the competition was the best thing that
could have ever happened to me and that in reality there was no
competition. Those clients who were right for me easily found me. She
attracted those who were right for her. It inspired me to be an even
better businesswoman than I was and propelled me to new
professionalism. And it paid off. Her style of doing business was quite
a bit different than mine. One of her specialties was weddings, which I
stopped booking in favor of corporate clients. Corporate clients who
met the two of us contracted my services. Sure it was sweet, but I
wished her well and even sent her holiday cards on occasion. We
occasionally spoke. I came to the realization that there is enough
abundance for everyone in business and you can never lose what is
rightfully yours except through fearful lack thinking and a negative
consciousness. Lesson learned. It was a great growing experience toward
my prosperity consciousness.
I don't believe in competition, at least in the traditional sense. Oh
sure, it may appear to be there on the surface, but when we focus on
giving the very best of ourselves and rely on the Universal source for
our supply, we can trust that we will always be exactly where we are
supposed to be with the right people and the right circumstances and we
will be happy to afford others the same. If we feel threatened by
competition, it only means one thing: we are operating from fear and
lack and not from our true nature as children of a rich and abundant
Universe.
We do not have to compete. We are complete. We are whole, complete and
perfect. When we recognize our completion within, all outer
circumstances will be consummated, perfected and completed to reflect
our inner state.
If someone creates another business similar to yours, that's copying an
idea. If you are the role model or influence, then you can be flattered.
What if someone copies us to the extent that there are violations or
infringements? If they copy or use our quotes, text or intellectual
property without credit, then that’s an infringement or “theft.” We
have the right to protect our interests and take action if needed -
that's good business sense. But I like what the great teacher Dr.
Joseph Murphy said: When you steal from your brother, you steal from
yourself. What you wish for your brother, you wish for yourself. So if
someone does steal, the laws of their own mind and consciousness will
take care of them.
The Universe doesn't miss a trick.
You
can increase your business quickly and effortlessly with the
Feel Free to Prosper program. As they ask in a
current television commericial, "Why wouldn't you?" http://www.feelfreetoprosper.com/products.html
~
Marilyn
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