The Digital Contrarianâ„¢

Ryan Levesque

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Contrarian insights directly to your inbox.

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Contrarian insights directly to your inbox.
The Digital Contrarianâ„¢

Ryan Levesque

Issue #015

| The Digital Contrarianâ„¢

Reframe Competition

A Lesson in Nature...

Ryan Levesque

4 min read

-

Here on the farm, there are so many fascinating patterns in nature that strangely show up in the rhythms of marketing, finance, and business.
 
Take for example…
 
Goldenrod and Asters
Yellow goldenrod and purple aster bloom together in nature because their complementary colors attract a wider range of pollinators, enhancing each plant’s chances of reproduction and contributing to biodiversity in the ecosystem.
 
Crazy, right?
 
In other words, by evolving to “collaborate” – rather than compete for pollinator attention –  the Goldenrod and Aster both benefit by growing side-by-side and and timing their bloom cycles with each other.
 
(And there are countless other examples of symbiotic collaboration like this in nature and here on the farm…)
 
So what’s this got to do with business?
 
Well, over the last week in my mastermind we’ve been exploring an interesting question:
 
“Who do you perceive to be a major “competitor” right now, who – if you reframe your perspective and think creatively – could actually become a major collaborator?”
 
I’ll share a real-world example of how profound this can be, in a business context:
 
Are you familiar with the email automation platform, AWeber?
 
(They are a Mailchimp alternative, and they’ve been around forever…)
 
Some time ago, I was in a high-level mastermind where I learned that AWeber’s #1 affiliate at the time was an email platform called ConstantContact (which also happened to be AWeber’s #1 competitor.)
 
That’s right:
 
Their #1 competitor was also their #1 affiliate.
 
At the time I remember how much that blew my mind.
 
And the lesson I took away from that, was the fact that the perceived duality of competition and collaboration is actually a false dichotomy.
 
To quote Obi-Wan Kenobi:
 
“Only the Sith deal in absolutes.”
 
There is a third option that is far more elegant, and that is the “yes and…”
 
What we call in my mastermind the “Strategic Reframe” – in this case reframing current clients, customers, colleagues, and even competitors into potential collaborators…
 
This is also a classic “Zig when they Zag” move, which you know I’m a big fan of…
 
Here are a few thought starters for you on how to apply this in your business:
 
Looking for a business partner with complimentary skills? Partner with a client that you work well with (that’s exactly what Richard and I did.)
 
Wresting with offering a service that you don’t really want to be selling? Partner with a competitor who sells that very thing on a rev share basis.
 
Looking for more lead flow? Partner with a company adjacent to you, who doesn’t do what you do, and offer them a cut of all sales they refer…
 
Etc. Etc.
 
This is also why focusing on filling a specific niche in a business ecosystem is far more effective than trying to dominate the landscape like some invasive monoculture species…
 
Work with nature, not against it.
 
Work within the ecosystem, not outside of it.
 
So a question to ask yourself, and reflect on here this weekend is this:
 
Who might be the Purple Astor to your Yellow Goldenrod?
 
Until next week,
 
Ryan :-)
 
P.S. I know some have been asking about this new mastermind you’ve been hearing me make whispers about recently…
 
Well, a few things:
 
If you reached out and haven’t heard back from me yet – it’s because the few spots I made available last week were snatched up almost immediately…
 
The available spots have all been taken.
 
And I’ve been focusing on the clients who decided to jump on the opportunity join me inside the group…
 
That said, it’s likely that I’ll be making another handful of spots available in October… Though not many. And I expect they’ll go fast.
 
Now, before you get too excited:
 
This group is NOT for beginners.
 
It’s for highly-experienced entrepreneurs.
 
And if you are an experienced entrepreneur.
 
If you have an existing business right now that you’re finding yourself needing to make a pivot or shift…
 
If you are in a season of life right now where you’re considering going through a period of reinvention…
 
If you’re wanting to evolve your business so you can pursue the life goals you have now in the window of time that’s in front of you…
 
(Whether that’s moving to a farm with your kids before they grow up, traveling the world with a loved one before the opportunity closes, or any number of a million different possibilities…)
 
I’m not putting together a big complicated funnel for this.
 
There’s no fancy website.
 
If you’d like to be considered for one of the spots I’ll be making available next month, this is how to get your name on the list:
 
Tell me about where you’re at right now.  What your goals are. Why you’re attracted to work with me and be part of this group specifically…
 
If I think it may be a good fit – I’ll tell you all about the group, how it’s structured, and details for reserving one of those spots…
 
Have a great week, and I’ll talk to you soon!

Want more insights like these?

Get The Digital Contrarian delivered to your inbox every weekend – before it’s published anywhere else.

Read more newsletters:

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Join over 100K+ readers of The Digital Contrarian getting unconventional business strategies delivered straight to their inbox.

Want more insights like these?

Get The Digital Contrarian delivered to your inbox every weekend – before it’s published anywhere else.

© RL & Associates LLC. All rights reserved.

Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions | Contact Us

The Great Sea Change

The Great Sea Change diagram from Return to Real