Envy- 7 deadly sins (Photo credit: Wikipedia by Alm25)
Envy is one of the seven deadly sins. Unfortunately it seems to drive much of our modern culture. It is damaging and it detracts from objectivity.
In business, envy has no place. Some suppose many whom they see as their competitors being more successful than they, and waste their energy with jealousy. That is a very negative emotion and certainly will not help their profits.
If your rival down the road is doing better than you, there must be a lesson to be learned. Have a look to see what they are doing better. How do they market their business? How do they source their products if they are in retail? How do they manage their overheads? All these questions are likely to be quite easily answered with a bit of research. Perhaps you can ask the business owners.
I have a different philosophy towards others in my business. I do not see them as rivals. With small businesses there is generally plenty of the cake for everyone just as long as we know the routes to our customers.
Treat your “competitors” as friends. Most will be willing to help if you are struggling. After all, unless your premises are next door to each other you hardly have to fight for footfall.
Listen to others and see what you can learn. I am sure you do. It is a shame for those who complain about others but never change their ways. We can be our worst enemies, especially when we let jealousy get in the way of our objectivity.
Do you know any green-eyed monsters in your business sector?
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