You’re doing it right now, aren’t you?
You have tabs open with your competitors’ websites. You’ve screenshot their Instagram posts. You’ve signed up for their email lists using a secondary email address. You know their pricing, their packages, their brand colours, and exactly what they posted last Tuesday.
You tell yourself it’s “market research.” You’re just staying informed. You need to know what’s working in your industry so you can be competitive.
But here’s what’s actually happening: you’re designing your brand in reaction to theirs. You see they went minimal, so you go bold. They use serif fonts, so you choose sans-serif. They’re warm and friendly, so you position yourself as sharp and strategic.
Every decision you make is a response to what they’re doing.
And ironically, all that effort to differentiate yourself is making you exactly the same as everyone else doing the exact same thing.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: your competition’s brand isn’t your competition. Your competition is sameness.
The businesses that stand out aren’t the ones who’ve carefully positioned themselves against their competitors. They’re the ones who stopped looking at their competitors entirely and started building something so specifically themselves that comparison becomes irrelevant.
By the end of this post, you’ll understand why obsessing over your competition actually dilutes your brand, how the race to differentiate makes everyone look identical, and where you should be looking instead to build something genuinely distinctive.
Let’s talk about why you need to close those tabs.
The competitor obsession trap (and how you fell into it)
First, let’s be honest about how this started.
You launched your business or you’re getting ready to. You’re excited, nervous, and deeply uncertain about whether you’re doing this “right.” So you do what any reasonable person would do: you look at people who are already successful in your space.
You study them. You analyse them. You try to reverse-engineer their success.
This makes perfect sense. It’s also where things start to go wrong.
Because here’s what happens when you fixate on competitors:
You start designing by subtraction rather than addition.
Instead of asking “What do I want to build?” you start asking “How can I be different from them?” Your entire brand strategy becomes about being the opposite of something else.
- They’re expensive, so you’ll be affordable
- They’re corporate, so you’ll be casual
- They’re serious, so you’ll be fun
- They’re detailed, so you’ll be simple
On the surface, this seems like smart positioning. You’re finding gaps in the market, right?
But here’s the problem: everyone else is doing this exact same exercise.
You’re all watching each other, reacting to each other, trying to be different from each other. And in that process, you all end up in the same reactionary dance, just in slightly different positions.
You become defined by what you’re NOT rather than what you ARE.
Your messaging is full of “Unlike others [your industry]…” and “We don’t believe in [common approach]…” and “Forget everything you’ve heard about [service you offer]…”
Your entire brand becomes a reaction. A differentiation play that only makes sense in relation to someone else.
And worst of all? Your ideal clients don’t care about any of this internal competitor drama.
Why the race to differentiate makes everyone look the same
Let me tell you what I see constantly in almost every creative industry:
Everyone is trying so hard to be different that they’ve all become identical.
Here’s how it plays out:
The differentiation echo chamber
Phase 1: Someone finds success with an approach A photographer goes all-in on bright, airy, joyful imagery. It resonates. They book out. Everyone notices.
Phase 2: The market reacts with “differentiation” Other photographers see this and think “the market is saturated with bright and airy – I’ll do the opposite!” They go dark, moody, dramatic. This also works because it’s genuinely different.
Phase 3: The counter-positioning becomes the new trend Now fifty photographers have pivoted to dark and moody because they saw it working as a differentiation strategy. The “different” choice has become the new norm.
Phase 4: The cycle repeats, new photographers enter the market, see dark and moody everywhere, and position themselves as “NOT like those moody photographers.” They go bright and airy. We’re back where we started.
The result? Everyone is positioning against everyone else, and paradoxically, everyone looks the same.
Real examples of differentiation sameness
Web designers:
- Half say “We’re not like those template-sellers, we do custom code”
- Half say “We’re not like those expensive custom developers, we use strategic templates”
- Result: Two identical groups saying identical things about being different
Business coaches:
- Half say “We’re not about hustle culture, we teach sustainable success”
- Half say “We’re not about gentle energy, we teach you to actually take action”
- Result: Everyone positioning against basic versions of each other
Brand strategists:
- Half say “We’re not about pretty colours, we focus on strategy first”
- Half say “We’re not just strategy docs that sit in drawers, we focus on beautiful implementation”
- Result: Everyone claiming to be the only one who does “both”
See the pattern?
When everyone is zigging specifically because others are zagging, and vice versa, you’re all still stuck on the same road.
The brands that actually stand out aren’t playing this game at all.
What you're actually competing for (and it's not what you think)
Here’s what shifted everything for me:
You’re not competing for who has the better brand, better website, or better positioning. You’re competing for attention, trust, and relevance in someone’s specific situation.
Let me break this down.
You're not competing for "best"
Our ideal client isn’t creating a spreadsheet comparing every brand designer in the city, scoring each of you on logo quality, colour palette sophistication, and website load time.
They’re scrolling Instagram while their toddler naps. They’re asking in a Facebook group “anyone know a good brand designer?” They’re remembering a conversation they had six months ago with someone who mentioned your name.
They choose you because:
- They saw you consistently enough to remember you exist
- Something you said resonated with their specific situation
- You felt like someone who “gets it” and gets them
- Hiring you felt obvious, not like a competitive decision
None of this has anything to do with how you compare to your competitors.
You're creating a category of one
The most successful brands don’t beat their competition, they make competition irrelevant by creating their own category.
This isn’t about inventing a new service. It’s about positioning yourself so specifically that comparison becomes almost impossible.
Examples of category-of-one positioning:
Instead of “brand photographer for small businesses” (competing with thousands): → “I photograph wellness practitioners who are camera-shy but know they need authentic personal brand images” (competing with… maybe ten people? And none of them are saying it this specifically?)
Instead of “website designer for coaches” (saturated): → “I build websites for coaches who’ve been in business 3+ years, have a clear methodology, and are ready to move away from their DIY site without losing what makes them them” (suddenly you’re the only obvious choice for this person)
Instead of “brand strategist for creatives” (vague): → “I help multi-passionate creatives who’ve been told to ‘pick a niche’ figure out how to package their various skills into one cohesive brand that makes sense” (speaking directly to a specific frustration with a specific promise)
Notice: none of these reference competitors. None of them are positioned as “NOT like other [service providers].”
They’re positioned specifically FOR someone that comparisons become irrelevant.
You're building relationships, not winning battles
Here’s the thing about obsessing over competitors: it puts you in a scarcity mindset.
If you’re watching them, you’re assuming:
- Every client they get is one you lost
- Every follower they gain is one you didn’t
- Their success somehow diminishes yours
- There’s a finite pie and you’re fighting for slices
But that’s not how it works.
Your ideal clients aren’t choosing between you and your competitor like they’re picking between two identical cans of soup. They’re choosing based on resonance, timing, trust, and whether you feel like the right fit for their specific situation right now.
Someone might follow twelve brand designers, like all of them, and hire you because:
- Your content helped them most at the moment they were ready
- Your personality felt like someone they’d actually want to work with
- The specific problem you solve matched their specific need
- They heard you on a podcast and felt an instant connection
None of this is about being “better than” anyone else.
Where to actually look instead of at competitors
Okay, so if you’re not studying your competition, what should you be paying attention to?
Look at adjacent industries
Want to know where I get my best branding inspiration? Not from other brand designers. From:
Hospitality brands: How do high-end hotels make you feel instantly taken care of? How do they anticipate needs? What small touches create memorable experiences? Apply this to your client journey.
Publishing and media: How do magazines create distinct editorial voices? How do podcasts build devoted audiences? What makes some newsletters feel like letters from a friend? Apply this to your content strategy.
Fashion and retail: How do clothing brands create aspirational identities? How do they build community around aesthetics? What makes some stores feel like experiences? Apply this to your brand atmosphere.
Museums and cultural institutions: How do they make complex information accessible? How do they create immersive environments? How do they balance education with engagement? Apply this to how you teach your audience.
Restaurants: How do they craft an experience from arrival to departure? How do they train staff to embody brand values? How do menus tell stories? Apply this to every touchpoint in your business.
When you look outside your industry, you find genuinely fresh ideas that your competitors aren’t considering because they’re all studying each other.
Look at what your clients actually care about
This sounds obvious, but most people skip right past it in favor of competitor analysis.
Instead of asking “What are my competitors doing?” ask:
“What is my ideal client struggling with right now?” Not struggling with choosing a brand designer, struggling with in their business, in their life, in their decision-making.
“What do they Google at 11 PM when they can’t sleep?” What keeps them up? What questions are they asking that your industry isn’t answering?
“What do they complain about in Facebook groups?” What frustrations do they voice when they think you’re not listening?
“What made my favorite clients choose to work with me?” Not what made them choose you over someone else – what made them choose to invest in this solution at all?
“What transformation are they actually buying?” Not your service – the life change, the business shift, the problem solved.
When you understand your clients deeply, your brand naturally becomes distinctive because you’re solving their actual problems in language that resonates with their actual experience.
You’re not trying to be different from competitors, you’re being relevant to real people.
Look at your own story and perspective
The most distinctive thing about your brand isn’t your colour palette or your pricing strategy.
It’s you. Your specific combination of experiences, perspectives, and values.
But most people bury this in favor of sounding “professional” or “marketable” or “like others in their industry.”
Questions to uncover your distinctive perspective:
What do you believe that most people in your industry would disagree with? This is your contrarian stance, your unpopular opinion. It’s also probably your most magnetic message.
What’s the path you took to get here that most others didn’t? Were you a corporate refugee? A career-changer? Someone who struggled with the thing you now teach? Your origin story is differentiation.
What do you care about that has nothing to do with your service? How does that show up in how you run your business? These “irrelevant” passions often become your most distinctive brand elements.
What mistakes did you make that taught you something your competitors haven’t learned yet? Your failures and lessons are differentiation gold – and they’re exclusively yours.
What would you do if you weren’t worried about what people in your industry would think? That thing? That’s probably your actual brand trying to break through.
Your competitors can copy your services, your pricing, your marketing tactics. They cannot copy your specific lived experience and perspective.
That’s your actual competitive advantage.
Look at long-term vision, not short-term trends
Competitors are often chasing what’s working right now. The trending reel format, the hot topic, the design style that’s getting engagement.
If you’re copying them (or intentionally doing the opposite), you’re still stuck in the same short-term, reactive cycle.
Instead, ask yourself:
Where do I want this business to be in five years? Not where your competitors are, but where you’re going. Build toward that, not against someone else.
What kind of work do I want to be known for? Not what’s getting likes today, but what you want your body of work to represent.
What legacy am I building? Dramatic? Maybe. But also clarifying. If someone looked at your brand in ten years, what would you want it to have stood for?
What would I create if I knew I couldn’t fail? Without the fear of “doing it wrong” or “being different from my industry,” what would your brand actually look like?
These questions create a north star that has nothing to do with what anyone else is doing.
The radical strategy: ignore your competition completely
I know this sounds extreme. “Don’t I need to know what’s happening in my market?”
Sure. Have a general awareness. Know what services are standard, what price ranges exist, what your industry typically offers.
But beyond that basic landscape knowledge? Actively ignore them.
Here’s what happens when you do:
You stop second-guessing your instincts
Every time you look at what a competitor is doing, you introduce doubt.
“They’re doing it this way- should I be doing that?” “They’re posting three times a day – am I posting enough?” “They have that on their website – do I need it too?” “They charge this much – am I priced wrong?”
You start designing by committee, an invisible committee of people who aren’t even thinking about you.
When you stop watching them, you have to trust yourself. And that’s when your actual distinctive voice emerges.
You create based on what serves your clients
Without competitor noise, you can focus on what your actual clients need.
Not what “best practices” say you should offer. Not what’s trending in your industry. Not what seems to be working for someone else.
Just: what would genuinely help this specific person I want to serve?
This leads to offers, content, and brand experiences that feel refreshingly different because they’re designed for people, not for positioning against competitors.
You build something that can't be replicated
When your brand is a reaction to competitors, it can be reverse-engineered. “They went minimal, so we’ll go maximalist.” Easy to copy.
When your brand is built from your specific perspective, values, and vision? It’s impossible to replicate without literally being you.
Your story is yours. Your voice is yours. Your particular combination of skills, experiences, and viewpoints is yours.
The more you build from that place, the less anyone can copy you.
Just: what would genuinely help this specific person I want to serve?
This leads to offers, content, and brand experiences that feel refreshingly different because they’re designed for people, not for positioning against competitors.
You attract clients who want YOU
When you’re positioned against competitors, you attract clients who are comparison shopping. They’re looking at you vs. them, weighing pros and cons, negotiating prices.
When you’re positioned as yourself – clearly, specifically, unapologetically, you attract clients who aren’t comparing. They’re recognising.
“This is exactly what I needed.” “You get it.” “I wasn’t even looking for someone like you, but now that I found you, you’re the only option that makes sense.”
These clients don’t ask you to match competitor prices. They don’t treat you like an interchangeable service provider. They choose you because you’re you.
What "competitive research" should actually look like
Okay, I’m not saying become completely oblivious to your market. There’s a difference between healthy awareness and obsessive monitoring.
Healthy awareness looks like:
Checking in quarterly (not daily) to see:
- What are the standard service offerings in my space?
- What’s the general price range?
- Are there new trends or shifts I should be aware of?
- Is there any legitimate industry news that affects my business?
Then closing the tabs and returning to your own lane.
Unhealthy obsession looks like:
- Daily checking of competitor Instagram accounts
- Analysing every post they make
- Comparing engagement numbers
- Copying (or intentionally avoiding) their content topics
- Pricing based on undercutting or positioning against them
- Feeling threatened when they launch something new
- Changing your strategy every time they change theirs
If you’re doing this, you’re not running your business – you’re running away from theirs.
The shift:
Instead of “What are my competitors doing?” ask “What am I building?”
Instead of “How am I different from them?” ask “Who am I specifically for?”
Instead of “What’s working for others?” ask “What’s true for me?”
Instead of “What’s trending in my industry?” ask “What do my clients actually need?”
Your category of one: a framework
Let me give you a practical framework for positioning yourself so specifically that competitor comparison becomes irrelevant.
The category of one formula:
I help [specific type of person] who [specific situation or struggle] achieve [specific transformation] through [your unique approach or methodology] because I believe [your contrarian or distinctive perspective].
Let's break this down:
[Specific type of person] Not “small business owners” – go deeper. What kind? At what stage? With what characteristics?
Example: “multi-passionate creatives who’ve been in business 2-5 years”
[Specific situation or struggle] What’s happening for them right now that makes them need you?
Example: “who have a scattered brand presence and feel like they’re starting over every time they post”
[Specific transformation] What changes after working with you? Be concrete.
Example: “create a cohesive brand identity that ties all their interests together”
[Your unique approach or methodology] How do you do this differently? What’s your process, framework, or philosophy?
Example: “through the brand personality method that uncovers their unique set of brand archetypes”
[Your contrarian or distinctive perspective] What do you believe that others don’t?
Example: “because forgettable bland brands are a doing a disservice to creative business owners”
Full example: “I help multi-passionate creatives who’ve been in business 2-5 years and have a scattered brand presence create a cohesive personality packed brand identity that ties all their interests together through the brand personality method that uncovers their unique set of brand archetypes because forgettable bland brands are a doing a disservice to creative business owners.”
Now: who are you competing with? No one. You’re the only person who does this, for these people, in this way, with this belief system.
The permission you're waiting for
Here it is: You have permission to stop watching your competitors.
You have permission to:
- Build something that makes no sense to anyone in your industry
- Price completely differently than “the market”
- Talk about topics no one else in your field discusses
- Show up in ways that feel weird or wrong or too specific
- Ignore best practices that don’t serve your actual clients
- Create offers that don’t fit the standard model
- Let your personality fully show up even if it’s “not professional”
- Follow your instincts even when they contradict what’s working for others
You don’t need to be different FROM anyone.
You just need to be specific TO someone.
When you’re specific enough, different enough in your own weird way, and committed enough to your own vision, you transcend competition entirely.
You’re not better than them. You’re not worse than them.
You’re not comparable to them.
And that’s exactly where you want to be.
What to do right now
Close the competitor tabs. Yes, really.
Open a blank document instead and answer these questions:
- Who am I actually trying to reach? (Get specific – name them, describe them, understand them)
- What do THEY care about right now? (Not what my industry is talking about – what keeps my clients up at night)
- What do I believe that most people in my industry would disagree with? (This is your differentiation)
- What’s my specific experience or path that led me here? (This is your unique perspective)
- If I wasn’t worried about what my competitors would think, what would I create? (This is your actual brand)
- Where do I want to be in five years? (This is your direction – ignore what others are doing and point yourself here)
Build from these answers. Not from watching what everyone else is doing.
Your competition’s brand isn’t your competition.
Sameness is your competition. And the antidote to sameness isn’t carefully positioning yourself against others.
It’s being so specifically, unapologetically yourself that comparison becomes irrelevant.
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