Let's talk about the C word...
No, not that one… or that one!
I’m talking about competition.
With so much sport taking over our screens recently, I’ve found myself thinking about competitiveness, and what it actually means to “win” in business. Because business success does not have to mean building the biggest company, growing the fastest or earning more than everybody else.
Success can mean creating a profitable business that fits the life you want, allows you to do work you are proud of and leaves you with enough energy to enjoy the rest of your life too. That definition will be different for every business owner.
And that is rather the point.
I’m not competitive, but I do care about winning
I’m not particularly competitive, but I do care about winning. My way.
Which sounds slightly contradictory, I know.
I enjoy games. I like the challenge, the people, the shared experience and having a laugh. I just don’t have that burning need to beat everybody else. For me, the enjoyment comes from taking part rather than proving that I have won according to somebody else’s rules.
The more I thought about it, the more I realised that I approach business in much the same way. I want my business to succeed. And yours. Of course I do.
I want to earn good money, work with brilliant people and build something I am proud of. But I do not necessarily want the particular version of success we are so often told we should be chasing.
How is success usually defined in business?
We have been sold a very particular idea of what it means to win in business:
Be the biggest… Grow the fastest… Earn the most… Attract more followers… Build a bigger team… Reach the next impressive-sounding milestone.
But who decided that this definition meant success for everybody?
Even the language we use around business can feel incredibly competitive.
We compete for market share… We beat the competition… We dominate our industry… We crush our targets.
Honestly, it all sounds exhausting.
It also assumes that every business owner is aiming for the same outcome. But we’re not.
What does business success actually look like?
For one person, success might mean building a national company with hundreds of employees. Bloody brilliant!
For somebody else, it might mean earning a comfortable living, finishing work in time to collect their children from school and still enjoying the business they have built. Fantastic!
Winning in business might mean:
- Creating jobs in your local community
- Having the freedom to travel
- Working with people you genuinely like
- Doing work that feels meaningful
- Building financial security
- Having more control over your time
- Finishing the working day without feeling permanently knackered
None of those versions of success is better than another.
The trouble begins when we accept somebody else’s definition without stopping to ask whether it is actually right for us.
We can spend years running a race without questioning who chose the route, where the finish line came from or whether we even wanted to enter in the first place. Then, when we reach the next milestone, we barely pause before moving the finish line again.
More clients… More money… More followers… More growth… More, more, more.
There is nothing wrong with wanting those things. But they should be things we have consciously chosen, rather than targets we are chasing simply because the business world tells us we should.
Is competition in business a bad thing?
No. A little healthy competition can be useful.
It can raise standards, inspire new ideas and give us the occasional nudge to stop procrastinating and actually get something done. It can show us what is possible and encourage us to improve. But competition becomes less helpful when it convinces us that somebody else’s success takes something away from our own.
It can create the belief that there is only so much opportunity to go around. That we need to guard what we know, keep our ideas to ourselves and constantly measure our progress against businesses with completely different ambitions, circumstances and values.
I’m not sure that is the healthiest way to build something. Because every business is different, and every person running one is different too.
The business owner aiming for rapid growth and a national team is not playing the same game as somebody building a small, profitable consultancy around family life, travel or other commitments.
Neither is doing it better.
They are simply building different businesses.
Collaboration can be more powerful than competition
Some of the best things I have experienced in business have happened through collaboration rather than competition.
Sharing ideas.
Making introductions.
Recommending another business.
Passing an opportunity to somebody who is better suited to it. Combining different skills to create something none of us could have produced alone.
There is a real energy that comes from people genuinely wanting each other to do well. And, rather wonderfully, helping another business owner succeed does not reduce the amount of success available to you. It often creates stronger relationships, better ideas and more opportunities for everybody involved.
Magic things happen when we collaborate.
How can you define success on your own terms?
Defining success starts with separating what you genuinely want from what you think you are supposed to want.
It can help to ask yourself:
- What do I want my business to provide for me?
- How do I want an ordinary working week to feel?
- How much money do I genuinely want or need to earn?
- What kind of work do I want to be known for?
- How much responsibility, growth and complexity do I actually want?
- What do I want enough time and energy left for outside work?
There are no universally correct answers.
You may want a large team, ambitious growth and international expansion.
You may want a small, profitable business that gives you flexibility and freedom.
You may want something in between.
The important thing is that you choose your definition deliberately.
What winning in business means to me
Perhaps winning does not always have to mean coming first.
Perhaps it can mean doing work you are proud of.
Building a business that fits the life you actually want.
Earning enough to feel secure.
Having time and energy left for the people and things that matter outside work.
Helping other people succeed alongside you.
Or simply creating something you still enjoy running.
For me, winning means doing meaningful work, building a business that gives me freedom and flexibility, and helping other people and businesses make progress. It is not about having the biggest team, the loudest online presence or the most impressive-sounding numbers.
And it certainly is not about beating everybody else.
So, what does success look like for you?
Not according to your industry. Not according to your competitors.
And definitely not according to somebody shouting business advice at you on the internet.
For you.
Because you get to decide what winning in business means.
