In this short video about Voodoo Doughnut (after which I almost needed to be physically restrained from getting into the car and driving to Portland), author Dan Heath gives some great advice about standing out.
If you’re in a crowded marketplace, you just don’t stand out by doing things a tiny bit better than everybody else. Voodoo didn’t try to make donuts that were 3% tastier than everybody else, or 2% cheaper. The way to stand out is to either do something that no one else does, or to compete on one dimension ferociously and do it better than everyone else.”
Are you doing something nobody else is doing?
Are you doing one thing better than everybody else?
If your answer to one or both questions is “yes,” you’ll stand out.
Discouraged? Don’t be. Check out this past post about creating a pocket of greatness, and a Seth Godin tip about making the world smaller.
Hollie says
Once you manage to get away from whoever physically restrained you, find a way to get to Portland. Voodoo Doughnuts is that good! When we were visiting the University of Oregon last summer we saw a woman carrying a Voodoo box. I think I scared her with my excitement over the glorious pink box she held, and we were thrilled to learn there is a store in Eugene as well! Crazy lines any time of day, but worth it!