The best way to stand out in a crowded market
Be your own ocean.
I caught a recent episode of The Tim Ferriss Show with his guest, American author and filmmaker Soman Chainani, titled:
Soman Chainani is best known for writing the children's book series com Netflix movie The School for Good and Evil.
Because it was Tim Ferriss, the conversation was long, wide-ranging, and in-depth. And worthy of note-taking on multiple topics.
One bit in particular resonated — playing your own game.
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How to stand out in a crowded market.
At about 15 minutes in, they discussed how Soman Chainani chooses his projects.
He shared his tendency to tell everyone about his book ideas, suggesting that someone else should write them. He tries to give them away. He knows there are only so many that he’s going to be able to do.
If no one takes it after a few years, he knows it’s his.
That was the case for The School for Good and Evil. Chainani had the idea for a book 3 years prior, had tried to give it away multiple times, and then was finally ready to write it.
And so were 8 other writers with 8 other books about magic schools set to be published that same year. It has been 10 years since Harry Potter and apparently the floodgates had opened.
Chainani’s agent and publisher were freaked out — there were other, bigger, more recognizable people and brands in that group.
“And I was never worried, because mine is so weird. It’s so strange. It’s just so uniquely me… Maybe it will be a total flop, but whoever reads it will never compare it to any of those others. And that I was confident in. I just have a strange way of storytelling ‘cause it’s just mine. I don’t know how to follow other people’s things.”
And then Tim Ferriss shared the story of a famous jujitsu competitor by the name of Marcelo Garcia who for a time was considered the GOAT.
“He was so uniquely himself. Some techniques he pioneered. And he would record a lot of his training footage and practice footage and sparring footage. Even when he was 6 months away from the championships. And he would make it available online.
And people found this mystifying because that is very rarely done. And the most common response was, ‘Why would you do that? It allows for your competitors to prepare for you.’
And his [paraphrased] response was… ‘This is my game. If someone wants to step into my game, then I am the best suited to win my game.’”
Both Soman Chainani and Tim Ferriss play their own games, swim in their own ocean, and are in the habit of filtering their work to what is uniquely their own.
And you can too.
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How do you get there?
While this part of their conversation was about writing books, there are parallels to successfully running and growing a business.
Some ideas that come to mind:
💡 Keep your eyes on your own paper (aka stop comparing yourself to others)
This is a losing game. Because every time you see someone else doing something you’re not doing or doing it in a way you’re not, you’ll:
1) begin to doubt yourself; and
2) shift how you do things thinking theirs is the “right” way.
You’ll try to be someone and something you’re not. You’ll lose the stream of being you.
You’ll lose the momentum you have. And the unique value you deliver.
If you need to mute or unfollow folks, do it.
💡 Up your game
Tim Ferriss, Soman Chainani, and Marcelo Garcia are all able to play their own game, to swim in their own ocean because they’ve invested in their skills.
They’ve put in the work. They’ve stayed consistent.
This is part of standing out.
💡 Put YOU into everything you do
There will be others who do WHAT you do, but no one who does it exactly HOW you do it.
Because no one else is you, with your background, life experience, quirks, obsessions, and expertise.
Lean into that.