Tag Archives: competition

Do Comparisons Help or Hurt?

I tend to subscribe to the personal belief system that comparing myself to other people and other situations is not good for me—but when it comes to operating a business, it can be hard not to try to keep up with what other businesses are doing. After all, isn’t that what competition and paying attention to the market trends are all about. Still, I have read some experts who say that focusing on competition isn’t necessary in business and that if we just tend to our own shelves, things will go better. What do you think? I am not an … Continue reading →

Duck and Goose – Tad Hills

One day, Duck and Goose came upon a big round, white object with spots all over it in the middle of a field. They’d never seen anything like it before, and they both immediately assumed it was an egg. And they both wanted it. An argument immediately ensued, with much yelling, and then they felt guilty, because if they woke up the baby inside, that would be very sad. But they had to find a way to decide who the egg should belong to. They both thought they should build an enclosure to keep the other out. The one thing … Continue reading →

Do You Know the Competitors’ Prices?

Pricing can be one of the big challenges in any business. For many of us who are just starting out with our home-based businesses, this can be one of the areas where we feel the most discomfort—have we set competitive prices? Are they reasonable? Will our prospective customers pay that much? AND, once we do set our prices, we may not remember that we do need to constantly re-evaluate and make sure that our prices stay effective and competitive. A good place to start is to keep an eye on what our competitors’ prices actually are. So, how can you … Continue reading →

Is Your Spouse Your Competitor or Companion?

Not very far from here is a couple that I see every day. Every evening they run past the house as they are out for their evening jog, often they are racing each other. I see them at the swimming pool and I listen to them compare everything from who makes more in a given week to who makes a better Chicken Marsala. (Don’t ask me, I’ve never tried it). They argue, wrangle or negotiate over everything. She spends more time with the kids so he cuts back his work hours to spend at least as much time as she … Continue reading →

Why You Should NOT Trash Your Competition

Understanding what your “competition” is up to and having a good grasp on what is going on in your industry, field, or region is a very good thing. Showing your customers and clients how you can bring them better service, higher quality goods, or just meet their needs better is also a good thing. Trashing and trying to down-grade the competition is NOT a good thing… When I was growing up, there used to be a standard rule: “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” This is not such a bad rule of thumb to revisit … Continue reading →

Homeschooler Wins the National Geography Bee… again

1999: David Beihl of South Carolina became the first homeschooler to win the National Geography Bee at age 13. 2002: 10 year old homeschooler Calvin McCarter from Michigan became the youngest winner of the National Geographic Bee. 2003: 14 year old homeschoolers, James Williams from Vancouver, Washington also won the National Geographic Bee. 2005: The National Geographic Bee champion was homeschooler, Nathan Cornelius of Minnesota. 2007: This year’s winner of the National Geographic Bee is 14-year-old Caitlin Snaring, 14, of Redmond, Washington. She is the second girl to win the contest in its 19-year run. Caitlin is a homeschooled 8th … Continue reading →

Can You Cope with Competition?

I am not, by nature, a very competitive person. This doesn’t mean that I don’t have a smidge or sparks of competitive spirit in me–after all, I did play sports for most of my growing-up years. But, when it comes to my home business, I don’t always think in terms of identifying and annihilating the competition… Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your personality), coping with competition is part of the nature of being in business. We need to at least understand who our competition is and how it can or can’t affect our own business and work efforts. Few of … Continue reading →

Fantasy Sports: Are They Hurting or Helping the Sporting World?

I once heard a radio host say that fantasy sports were ruining sports fans. He had the argument that by building fantasy teams filled with players from all sorts of different teams, you were rooting not for a favorite team, but for individual players. Fantasy sports manage to turn a blatant team sport into an individual one. I can remember hearing that, but it never really made any sense to me until this past weekend when I was traveling from North Carolina to Vermont in a car with my friend Joe. Joe has never been into sports. As long as … Continue reading →

Don’t Compete With Your Spouse

My husband and I are both very competitive people. Okay, well, he’s not as competitive as I am. I love a challenge. In fact, the best way to get me involved in something is to make it a contest. Who can do it better? Who can do the most? Who can deliver quality and quantity? Yeah, you get the picture. Well knowing this and understanding this – it’s important to recognize from the get go that while competition can be healthy – it takes work to keep it healthy. Competing with your spouse invites a lot of problems unless the … Continue reading →