Simply One of a Kind

Within the Social Collective we’ve been talking in depth about how to deal with other similar businesses replicating our work. It seems this is a hot topic at the moment.

So hot in fact that just as I thought everything was hunky dory in my world I received an email from a friend saying “Have you seen this, it looks remarkably like yours?” She’d attached a link and was referring to a brand new Collective that had launched. 

Yes I had seen it and I too could see immediately the striking similarities between my Social Collective and this new one.

I am wise enough to know mine isn’t going to be the only one in the world. There are loads of Collectives out there with more popping up all the time. But this one and it's entire concept, features and mechanics are identical to mine. Familiar and too similar for my liking.

Surely not a coincidence?

It appears not as shortly after another two emails popped into my mailbox saying “Have you seen this?”.........

I forwarded the message on to my husband for sound advice. His response was swift. “Plagiarism”. He doesn’t mince his words.

Sadly it’s not the first time someone else has decided they rather like the look of something I’ve created. It is easy to like the look of what someone else does and try to pass it off as your own. But not so easy in the long run. Eventually you get found out.

A LinkedIn e-book I wrote and gave away for free, was sent back to me with the logo switched to another, a few pages jigged around and re-formatted, some removed and words tweaked but ultimately I recognised it immediately as my work. When presented with the same like for like format and your own words staring back at you on the page, it doesn’t take long to it suss out. Hells bells this is mine.

I just so happened to be on this particular pilferers email list so fortunately I too received my new free ever-so slightly tweaked LinkedIn ebook download as a bonus. Along with all the other people on her list. I promptly removed her from mine and all my social pages. That would be the last time she'd be receiving a "gift" from me.

Moving on from e-books to websites. My second website for Scarletta had a cute boy with a flat cap speaking in to a horn. He appeared throughout my branding at the time. Until a similar local business decided to replicate my brand and instead of the boy with the flat cap they’d use a girl. I received more “Have you seen this website” emails from friends and acquaintances......... And realised Hells bells it’s time for a new website and brand.

I swiftly got to work and created Scarletta website number three and made a conscious decision from that point forward never to use stock images again. Everything I used I would  create and the photo images would be taken by my husband. The problem was solved. 

Until the next time. 

Have you had your stuff pilfered too? You’re not alone.

I’ve heard many tales from other petite business owner and creatives who show up and share their best work online only to have someone else decide they’ll have some of that too. It could be an image or an idea shared on a blog post or even an entire sales page, copied and pasted onto another businesses new website. Why get a copy writer to write up your services when it's easy to just take yours? 

Or someone may even go as far as working with you as a client.  Receive all your wonderful nuggets of wisdom and then decide that thanks to you they are now an expert and set up their business just like yours, offering the same service as you. As you made it look so easy, so surely it must be?

This is happening all the time whether we like it or not.

So what do you do, do you challenge them all guns blazing? Fire off a snotty email or make an awkward phone call?  Or do you go even further and trademark your work? This can be expensive and you can’t trademark everything.

Or do you decide enough is enough and seek legal advice.  Hmm now there’s an idea. Because why should you just take this on the chin and pretend it didn't happen? 

Of course the world is a big place,  there are plenty of people and there can be enough work to go round for everyone so why the fuss? Especially if it is your word against theirs. Pun intended.

It’s simple. 

If you are like me, you put your heart and soul into everything you do for your people and clients and it is not there for the taking. 

You put your time and energy into coming up with perfect ideas to support and continue serve your clients and tribe. 

You put your own creativity into creating your services, products and establishing your own living brand so you know and so does your tribe that without a shadow of doubt everything is authentically true to you.

You put hours of work into diligently learning, growing and evolving so that you can share your own insights and expertise and tell your stories in order to help serve the very people who need to hear what you have to say.

You don’t do any of it for someone else to pass off your creations as theirs.

That’s why.

Only we can decide personally what action we choose to take. For me it’s not something I will tolerate. I will pursue them every single time.

In our world of free online content  you have to keep it in the forefront of your mind that once you have published something you have soulfully created,  you have little control over what happens to it from that point forward. But that doesn’t mean you do nothing. 

What you do have absolute control over is to not hit the brakes and let it deter or detract you from your soulful work and mission. You don’t stop doing what you set out to do. It doesn’t mean you stop sharing your wisdom and work with others just in case someone else may copy it. And it definitely doesn’t mean you shrink back or remove or rewrite your original sales page just in case other people may think you are the one who copied them.

No. You allow yourself to be a bit pissy. For a while. 24 hours at the most. And then you pick yourself up, dust yourself down and carry on. As you were. Focused on what you intended. Heading back into your creative cave. To cook up some more ideas and unique creations that you are going to bring into fruition.

You continue to share your wisdom. Speak your own truth. And keep showing up online and off as you really are in the way only you know how.

Why?

Because you are one of a kind.

The fact is no one can be you. No one else has the same ideas, insights, approach, views, beliefs or expertise as you. Someone else simply cannot be you or your petite business. However hard they may try.

If you want to continue to be known, loved and trusted as a the credible expert, the leader in your field and an authentic change maker you owe to it yourself to make your mark and  keep putting your own soulful stamp on everything you do. 

Which enables others to know the real you as it’s your heart and soul written on the page. Your words speak in a way that only you can express them. Your images show precisely who you really are and demonstrate the true experience of what it feels like to work with you over and over again.

This is what true authenticity and transparency means.

Because let’s not forget, other people can detect an imposter without us having to waste any more time and energy on them. We have to trust copy cats will eventually be exposed and will move along onto another venture eventually.

As for our Social Collective, when I launched back in November I deliberately and consciously didn’t put everything on my website or sales material. I took a new and different marketing approach as fortunately for me I couldn’t get everything down onto one sales page. There was too much for me to say. So it was only those people who registered directly with me who received every little detail in its entirety. This approach served me very well. It's not all for the taking and most importantly I could ensure that the genuine people who were considering joining us knew precisely what they needed to know from me and not just via my website.

Somebody once told me.......

Someone I knew who offered a similar service to me once told me at a networking event that she could see how well my business was doing and felt that she was just a couple of steps behind me. She admitted copying my marketing and social approach as it seemed to work. Brave I thought. 

What she didn't know, maybe she has realised now is that however hard she tried her business would never be the same as mine. Because I never keep still. In my life or my business. I am never complacent and find myself constantly buzzing with new ideas and concepts. Nothing is ever static. It's always evolving. Growing, blooming and transforming.

I wished her luck and walked away, chuckling to myself as I moved to talk to someone else. I didn't feel this was a threat or competition. Or anything to be remotely concerned about.

As I know just like you and your petite business we're simply all one of a kind!

It's Not About Who You Know. It's About Who Knows You?

An exciting thing happened my new business cards arrived. Woo Hoo. I promptly gave them out to my family members and put the rest back in the box.

But what use are my new business cards if they are sitting in a pretty flowery holder on my desk? How will people know all about what’s on offer if I don’t tell them or give them my card? 

I realised it’s time to start “networking” again.

But I was undecided and dithering on where to go. I wanted to find groups more local to me instead of travelling in and out of Central London.

Since we moved it’s fair to say I haven’t been out much. Networking that is. After all we’ve got the house to renovate, the garden to maintain, washing to do and endless domestic goddess duties to carry out let alone finding the time or making the effort to go to networking meetings. 

And with me percolating on my new venture I didn’t feel comfortable heading out trying to promote and market my old services which weren’t really in my heart anymore. So I didn’t, I stayed at home and pulled up some more weeds from the garden.

However, I have enough experience under my belt to know that me sitting at home with my new business cards and shiny new website is unlikely to bring an abundance of new connections or clients. Well it might, but I could be waiting a while couldn’t I?

So I took the plunge, did my research and found some local groups near me to try out. I called the organiser of one group to confirm my attendance which meant I could not opt out as I said I’d be there. There is nothing like a commitment to another to ensure you show up.

And true to my word I changed out of my comfy jeans and flip-flops, put my glad rags on, blow dried my hair and headed out-out.

I felt pretty nervous before hand, I kind of knew what to expect but felt ever so rusty. And as for a 45 second elevator pitch, oh man I hadn’t done one of those for a long time. But I stood up said my piece with a smile on my face and sat back down again. Phew. Done.

There was absolutely no need for me to worry, I had a lovely time meeting and talking to some new people, getting to know them and sharing more about me and what I do. Plus I like to talk which really isn’t a surprise as if you have met me in person you’ll know I do like a good natter. 

Over the years I have had a lot of experience of attending all sorts of meetings and even hosting my own. But still, it feels daunting when you go somewhere new, a little bit like starting a new school all over again doesn’t it?

Here’s the thing about “networking” most petite business owners dread it. 

Because we know we have to be on our best behaviour with our sales face on and go in and make an impact and be memorable. With a refined and magical elevator pitch that describes who we are and what we do so everyone else knows precisely what we’re all about so they can tell others about us and all of this has to be said in no more than a minute. That’s a challenge in itself.

But it’s not the words that come out of our mouths that makes the biggest impact. It’s simply who we are as people.

Is there a spark or a connection with someone else?

Do they feel like they want to get to know you better? As you could offer a similar service to someone else but people will naturally be drawn to someone they gel with. 

What about you, who do you resonate with? Is there someone you feel you must talk to?

The belief is you have to go networking because that’s where your clients are waiting for you.

But it doesn’t always work like that does it? 

Because the other attendees are there to find their new clients too.

They are not intentionally going to networking meetings to find you. 

They are more likely to be thinking about whether or not the people will be nice and welcoming?

Their minds may be buzzing with questions on whether or not they have to eat lunch and talk at the same time? What to say? Should they have brought more business cards? Definitely that they should have worn their other shoes. And not forgetting how on earth they are going to tell others all about them and their petite business in less than a minute?

You know the similar mind chatter that you and I may have too.

But what if we all approached "networking" with the mind set of just being present and open to who we may meet. With absolutely no big expectations of finding our next client within the room. Our task is to be focused on giving others the opportunity to get to know us better and we get to know them. 

And it always helps to have an intention of why you're going in the first place? Are you looking for good contacts? Do you need someone to test something out? Do you simply like me want to make friends with people nearby? As I realised that I talk to my neighbours and the people in the shops here always love to chat. But they are not friends. So for me my intention is two fold. To meet some new local people who may become friends as well as meet new people who may be interested in working with me in the future. I know why I am going.

This approach changes everything. It takes the pressure off. We can enjoy ourselves. Be ourselves, natural, relaxed and more engaging. Have fun. Enjoy our lunch even. With no ulterior motive what-so-ever. 

As you never know who is going to be in the room. They may not look like your kind of people but maybe they are? Or maybe someone they know is ideal for you. This is when the magic happens. It may not be instant. It may take some time. A long time even. I once had a new client following an event I did five years previously. Hopefully you won't have to wait that long!

But the point is when you show up, you've already taken a step forward and the seeds have been planted. You have to trust they will grow. Some will flourish. Some will not. That's the reality isn't it? 

Life finds a way of bringing the right people together. 

The saying goes "it’s not what you know it’s who you know" and this is so true when it comes to business and referrals.

But I believe more importantly it’s not just who you know.

It’s who knows you?

When people really know you. And I don't just mean your job title and elevator pitch. If they feel they know the real you, understand what you're all about and whether or not you can help them only then will they decide to be your next client. 

They may not want to make a decision yet. And are happy to become a member of your tribe so you can establish more of a relationship first.

Or they may not want or need what you offer but they know others that do.

And this is what definitely works about "networking" and why we torture......I mean enjoy ourselves in being brave and going along. But I prefer to call it "connecting".

“Let go of yourself. Because I want a conversation that speaks from soul to soul.”

— Sana A Rashid

As for me “connecting” remains very high on my agenda in the weeks ahead and so far I’ve made some lovely new human connections, was also gifted with recommendations of other new groups to try out locally, (which I will!) I've been invited out for a cup of tea and a chat and someone expressed an interest in joining the Social Collective. All great results.

So the thought of going was far worse than the actual doing. It really wasn’t so bad after all, progress was made and I know I’ll be going back again.

Just need to order some more business cards.

Are you looking for a different kind of group to help you grow, bloom and transform?

Take a look at the Social Collective.
 

A Magical Doorway Opens

I’ve been in the “void” for a while, pondering and percolating. Wondering how to bridge the gap between what has come before in my life and work, and the now. As the old felt out-dated and no longer resonated.

The images on the Scarletta website no longer felt like me. Who was that person? As I no longer recognised her because everything in my world has changed since they were taken some four years ago.

My perspective and perceptions altered significantly. My work evolved as I learned to go with my heart and soul and not just my logical head.

Everything around me was different.

My work, how I serve, my beliefs, values and most importantly me.

Life has simply and dramatically changed.

But when you're known for one thing, how do you grow and evolve into another?

I’d been living and working with the new, but under the radar. Quietly doing my own thing without broadcasting it all via social media and my online marketing. Just tentatively allowing the new to gently unfold and bloom without fanfare.

And yet with one foot still in the past and the other firmly in the future, how could I release the old when the new wasn’t fully formed?

Would there be a definitive line between then and now?

Would I know when it would be the right time to shut the Scarletta door and bravely open the new one, enticing me forward?

In answer to all of my questions, yes I would know eventually. But it would all take some time.

Following my instincts I began to understand I needed to be patient. Wait a little longer. Not force things to happen before they were ready to emerge. I am naturally impatient and when I set my mind to do something I crack on and get on with it. Waiting goes against my conditioning. 

But this time it is different. Because I have learned how to be guided and now trust myself that I know what to do.

So I waited some more. Made lots of notes. Continued to add ideas and images to my magical scrap book of the year. Pinned plenty of images and quotes that resonated on Pinterest.

Months and weeks passed by.

And then suddenly I connected the dots. There it was.

The bridge between the old and the new

I understood exactly what I am meant to do now. My magical door opened a little more. Enough for the seeds that had been planted some time ago to grow and emerge.

The concepts and ideas became a reality as I decided to rebuild everything from scratch. With my blank canvas. I created this website and brand myself with the spirit of freedom I felt when I first started Scarletta's Blog back in 2009. Freedom to create, to visualise, to share my own words, talk about things that matter and show up and just be me. Who I am now.  

And my new petite business and I emerged. With a new identity in my own name and in my own style. Here we are.

Along with the flowers. My first Scarletta website and logo had flowers and I knew we'd come a full circle.

This time it's my name in gold, for the light and of course there are the beautiful blooming flowers. Everything you see and read is intentional, symbolic and totally in essence of me and my own soul-led work.

There’s human timing and divine timing. And more often than not everything happens in divine timing. When it’s meant to. 

We can try and force change. But as the saying goes everything will happen when its meant to. Not to our timescales. 

But this does not mean we do nothing.

We have to be vigilant and open to the signs and synchronicities. Listening to the voice of our own inner wisdom that is there for our greater good. Guiding us forward, helping us to be ready to emerge. Encouraging us to move out of the comfort zone and step forward into the unknown.

One day you know you’re as ready as your ever going to be

It's time. You find the courage to take action.

Step by step. Day by day. The momentum builds. Ideas start falling into place. You know it’s time to let go of the old and welcome in the new.

Things begin to flow and shift.

Grow. Bloom and transform.

The magical door opens and you step through onto your next chapter.

If you're ready to open your own magical door here's how we can work together.