The Ultimate Form Of Flattery...

Isn't that what they say about when someone copies you? I guess your suppose to feel very flattered that they loved your idea just SO much that they had to make it their own or at least put a spin on it, then apparently "justifibly" make it their own.

Unfortunately, this type of thing happens alot in every industry. I could certainly tell you some stories...well, actually why not...let me tell you some so you'll understand what I'm talking about.

Let's see..as a pattern designer I've had my dolls copied and patterns copied. As a business owner, I've had my business concepts copied as well. Whenever you create something that is successful in the eyes of others, people will try to profit from it one way or another. That's just the unfortunate reality in the business world. Reality it very well may be....for some. But it doesn't mean I have to like it nor feel compelled to participate in that mindset either.

Many months after one of my businesses launched another site came up created by someone in the same crafting industry I'm in that had extremely similiar concepts...even down to the graphics they chose for their website. It was almost comical really and I don't mean for that to come across sarcastically, it just made me giggle when I saw that they didn't even try to come up with at least a different idea for their graphics. Actually, I fully expected someone to try and replicate what I accomplished so it really wasn't a surprize to me.

Then shortly after we launched our craft publication, guess what? You guessed it...several online craft publication with an identical concepts started popping up. Now, this is where I believe I'm suppose to look at it as that saying "It's the ultimate form of flattery" and be flattered and to be honest, I am. As I know the idea came from ours, as I know these people, have chatted with them on the same message boards, etc. So it's pretty obvious. It's just another example that when something is successful your going to have people jumping on the band wagon trying to profit from your ideas. There's just no way around it.

However, no matter how flattering it is...I guess it comes down to a ethical issue for me. I believe the common term in business is "The rat race". How fitting is that name? As we all are in this race to the success finish line, there are those that unfortunately will do whatever necessary to get there. I'm not one of them. I will NEVER compromise my own integrity in order to get to the proverbial finish line. Nor, will I purposefully take someone else's idea in an effort to profit from it. Even if that means I humbly finish the "race" dead last. Because in the end I don't want to be one of those people that gets there via unscrupulous means. It's not worth that to me and as hard as this may be for anyone to believe...my primary motivation for starting my businesses was NOT for the money. I started them because I'm passionate about what they represent, enjoy working with the clients and customers. What I get most of all in return is that feeling of accomplishment and I also love the new challenges that come with each new concept I implement.

Ofcourse anyone that runs a business hopes that it's success will reflect in the revenue it generates and it's nice to see that it is succeeding from a monetary standpoint. I guess I have to really reflect on this....I'm not a rich person as far as having a huge bank account and money flowing in like water. But, I could walk away from my business and be just fine. So, perhaps when I try to understand what motivates people to do what I feel is unethic business practices, I may be overlooking the fact that perhaps they are motivated to make poor choices of copying others ideas because they DO need the money?? My heart would immediately sympathize even for those that would copy me, but it still wouldn't justify it or make it ethically right.

I think many of these business owners don't realize that customers are smart people. They are perfectly capable of reading between lines. You can have smoke and mirrors that will fool a few but not the majority. If you go back in time...back to the early days where businesses were built on reputation you will find those that had the strong values and ethics stood the longest. It was those businesses that weathered the storms and rode out the recessions. It was those businesses that the customers felt most comfortable with and placed their trust in. It's no different today except as a online business owner you have to work even harder to EARN those customers trust as there are so many smoke and mirror online businesses on the web that customers are naturally leary. Who can blame them? I can't!

If your going to succeed at a online business you have to stay true to yourself, to your values and true to your customers. In interacting with other business owners online you have to remember that not everyone you meet who may appear to be supporting your efforts will truly be doing so. They will be singing your praises one moment...until they find something they feel is better and then they will sing those praises. Always remember that not everyone has your best interest in mind and even those that may seem true blue...may very well not be.

Your friend and fellow E-preneur,
Kelle Arvay