Imitation is the greatest form of flattery, right? Yes!
Stealing on the other hand... not so much.
If you’ve ever been in my business mentorship programs or workshops then you know I am an open book. My goal is to give clients everything they need to build a significant income to recirculate back into family, church and community. I want my clients to imitate the things I’ve done to grow my business so they too can grow their businesses.
However…I’ve recently had some past clients and social media followers use my exact content without giving me credit. They’ve used my posts, copy, and/or program content and passed it off as their own. That’s not a strategy that’s going to go well for them.
Because I always operate out of the abundance mindset this truly doesn’t bother much; in fact I expect some of this. My company leads the way with authority. Our brand was born to be a leader. The Agency Side takes the alpha stance: we strengthen, we earn respect, we motivate and we guide action. Because we are a role model in the industry, we are often copied. But again, stealing stuff from me...or any other successful entrepreneur, is truly a terrible idea.
Here’s why...
Copying my stuff makes you look bad.
Trying to be like me won’t work. You aren’t me. Instead of pouring time and energy into copying my stuff, consider what YOUR highest value is in today’s marketplace, based on your unique strengths. If you are using my content it is always going to come across as disingenuous. And, you will inevitably attract the wrong leads to your business.
You don’t have my team.
I can promote my products and services because I can back up my promotions. I have a massive team of highly qualified individuals who always deliver. You do not have the same team I do, with the same strengths. You will not be able to provide what you are promoting at the same level I can. This will lead to your own burn out and lots of unhappy clients.
When I work with aspiring entrepreneurs or new business owners, I pour everything I have into helping them establish a thriving business. However, I always focus on helping clients figure out programs and services that are truly unique to their background, expertise, passion, and value in the marketplace. I don’t believe in a cookie cutter approach to online courses, product flow or business models. The cookie cutter approaches don’t work. If you don’t stand out in today’s marketplace then you will undoubtedly be ignored!
Honestly, I don’t lose sleep over people stealing my content. I have a great lawyer who handles these things... and I am more than willing to let him do just that. But ultimately, I lose little sleep because I know the only way to build a sustainably successful business is to be original and provide incredible content and services. If you are stealing things from me, or anyone else, you won’t be able to provide that, and will eventually find yourself struggling.
Come up with your own content, friends. You will have far better ROI when you do.
Be original, be unique, be honest and lead your business with excellence and integrity.