One of my favorite things as a small business owner is meeting other small business owners and hearing their stories. I could be at a pop-up event with the worst sales in my history of pop-ups but creating camaraderie with my neighboring business owners makes it sting a whole lot less.
What does “Community Over Competition” really mean?
It means that people and relationships are more important than just gaining business and customers. Think of it as quality over quantity.
- Community over competition means surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals.
- Community over competition means to refer business to others.
Refer business that may not be a good fit for you, clients that are looking for something you don’t offer or simply referring businesses you believe in. Word of mouth is the best form of referral. Rather than trying to do it all and recognizing when work is out of my scope, I’ve been able to create community with other creatives through referrals.
- Community over competition means being kind to others in your industry.
This can be cheering someone on with their small wins, simply reposting their instagram post or sharing resources and tips. Be kind to those in your industry and those outside of it too. Share industry “secrets” to others that ask.
- Community over competition means giving credit to where credit is due.
Creators put so much of themselves in their work. Don’t steal their ideas and market them as your own. If someone’s idea was a source of inspiration, give them the credit. Tag your photographers even when you bought credits to the photos. Celebrate others in their wins.
- Community over competition means collaboration.
Sometimes, it takes a village. Some of the best work I have created stemmed from collaborative photo shoots where all small businesses contributed products or services for content. You build a sense of community, are able to create new people in your industry, strengthen bonds and learn from each other with the common goal of growth.
In the spirit of Small Business Saturday and “community over competition,” I will periodically be featuring small businesses through social media and blog posts. Comment below or contact me to be featured!
Credits: Odom Media, Toto + Tess, Camila Margotta Photo
