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Competition or a reliable business partner?

Competition or a reliable business partner?

I have been involved in a networking group for a while now right from it's beginnings and have been the only makeup artist there for awhile. There has recently been another makeup artist join and I am just so excited. There are times when I feel insecure and the ugly 'she's competition' voice enters my head, but mostly I am so happy about it. I have a reliable and very likable person I can trust to refer work to if I'm too busy and also a great colleague to work with on larger jobs. The most enjoyable thing is talking shop, comparing jobs, having a winge about industry frustrations and the joy of comparing the products we use and sharing ideas. I'm not sure if it comes from the idea of abundance or if we specialize in slightly different areas but it's so nice to have a co worker with the freedom of still being independent.

I was curious if this applies to other industries or if other sole traders have the same sort of working relationships? Or are other people viewed as competition and untrustworthy?

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Comment by Tiang Cheng on March 24, 2011 at 11:33am: It's kinda odd, my competitors are also my friends and mentors and inspiration. :)

I guess I view them as a community, and I want to be involved in the community, not so much compete against them, but with them.

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Comment by Marisa Wikramanayake on March 23, 2011 at 11:02pm: I have a friend - well, let's call her a friend at the moment for the purposes of this comment. We work in roughly what people would define as a similar field: "Science Communication" - I'm a journo, she's - well she was going to end up a consultant in pr for big science organisations.

She also blogs about science passionately, something I'd like to do but I have enough other blogs and a book so it didn't bother me. Her BA was in Engineering after all. But lately she's got a bit high and mighty with me. She's a naturally critical person - suddenly her blogs got her a gig working with me at the same publication though when I suggested she write for them, she pooh-poohed the idea.

And I found out because she called me up to gloat not just about that gig but some other gig and the possibility of writing for some other publication as well. Not to inform me that she had changed her mind but to gloat. She was a bit disappointed that I wasn't upset by this. By her behaviour a bit yes, by this good news for her, no. I think the idea was that I should be upset somehow because she's doing stuff she thinks I should be?

The point is that - no, she's not competition to me. We do the same job, same interests but I have different goals. She might see my lack of interest in working for a publication as a lack of ambition but hey, I am in labour with my book here - does it look I have time for New Scientist? So she might view me as useless/competition/whatever, but I am happy if she's happy.

Far as I am concerned, the two of us are supposed to be friends, right? So I don't bother about this stuff.

Comment by Cara Templeman on March 23, 2011 at 9:24pm: Thanks so much for all your comments. I agree that if you work hard and are good at what you do, you shouldn't have to worry.

Comment by Charmel Delos Santos on March 22, 2011 at 8:51am: thought provoking post! Thanks Cara. I remember that our doctor, whom I trust so much, also goes on holidays and he'd refer us to another doctor on the same clinic. We'd always go back to him though when he's available even making sure we go on the days he is working. I think it boils down to how good you are and also your relationship with your customer / client. So the challenge is always to be the best we can be. Your newfound colleague could give you that boost to challenge yourself and also be your backup when you're not around.

Comment by Jarrad Brown on March 21, 2011 at 4:37pm: Great post! I certainly agree with Janine that it will cause the 'weak' to get trampled. I believe it also largely comes down to how confident we are as business people and how 'successful' we currently view our businesses as.

If we are constantly 'desperate' for business and don't yet view ourselves as successful then I believe we will view everyone as competition, regardless of their field of specialisation.

It is important to have confidence in your own business and the product/service you are selling and view opportunities such as this as a great chance to meet someone with similar goals and sieze the moment.

Comment by Susan Broughton, CFP on March 20, 2011 at 10:29am: I like to think that if we work together, then we will acheive better outcomes for ourselves, our clients/customers and society at large. I also like to think that if someone is truly good at what they do and position themselves well, they will never be out of work. So for me, competition is not a huge issue, in fact it doesn't really enter into the equation as we all have something unique to offer.

I am a Financial Adviser who specialises in ethical investment. I regularly meet up with other Ethical Financial Advisers in Perth and across Australia. In fact we are on the verge of launching a nationwide Ethical Adviser Co-operative.

The idea that we can co-operate and all thrive from a business and personal perspective can be hard to wrap your head around, but it is so worthwhile. You get so much more out of it!

Comment by Janine Ripper on March 18, 2011 at 6:48pm: Cara - definitely applies to other industries. In Project Management the competition thing is huge. I believe part of this is due to the high percentage of contract workers, who are either in to make a name for themselves quick and then move on to another project - or a result of the permanent vs contractor scenario (which existed in my last project).

On one side it is definitely healthy, as it can drive change, efficiencies, productivity (healthy competition) and can open peoples minds (including our own) to other possibilities, but on the flip side it can be a terrible thing as those that aren't strong, or are perceived as 'weak' can get trampled in the process. Either way though, it is a learning experience!