Something Businessy
Something Businessy
Copycats Part 1- It Sucks Being Copied
Have you ever felt like you're being totally ripped off? It happens a lot in the world of business. What's the difference between being inspired by someone and just plain copying? What even are original ideas anyway?
In this episode, Frannie and Nichole have a candid chat about what to do when you think you're being copied and how to handle it gracefully and professionally.
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when you feel like you're being copied, ask yourself. Am I sure that they're actually straight up copying me? Or are we both just being influenced by everything around us? And kind of sort of ending up coming up with similar ideas? Right.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Absolutely.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Most likely that's probably what's happening. We just kind of have this tendency to like, be the main character Hey, Nicole.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Hi Franny.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Franny. Aw, it's so good to have you here on the Something Businessy
F+N Shure MV7s-6:welcome to my podcast.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:welcome to my podcast.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:No, it's my podcast. Oh. Are you copying me?
F+N Shure MV7s-5:We totally did not plan that. Wait. Wait. Wait,
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Wait, your podcast sounds a lot like my
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Wait, your podcast sounds a lot like my podcast. Mmm, I'm pretty sure.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Okay,
F+N Shure MV7s-5:I saw this really funny reel and it was this like cartoon bird and he's going and he's like a mockingbird and he goes the cartoon bird goes um, hold up. This is a mockery. And then the other bird goes, uh, don't you mean a robbery? And then the mockingbird goes, What do you mean you're rubbery? It made me laugh so hard.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:That's good.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:It was so good. Um, yeah, so, Yeah, I just, hold on. Before we start talking about copying, I just have to mention that right before we hit go on this, Nicole and I were talking about, uh,
F+N Shure MV7s-6:I'm watching
F+N Shure MV7s-5:I'm watching the Beckham documentary.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:documentary,
F+N Shure MV7s-5:And I always like to just let people in a little bit on like, what are we, you know, I want to know what everybody's watching right now. I want recommendations.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:know what Franny's watching right now.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Yeah. I'm watching a documentary about David Beckham.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Beckham. And I was like, well, I mean, the upside is you get to look at David Beckham. Yeah.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:And then she said, don't tell my
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Don't tell my husband. I've only ever looked at him.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:And I was like, I won't tell your husband but I'll just tell the whole world on the podcast. And by the whole world I mean whoever listens to this.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:your husband likes to look at David Beckham too. And I was like, yep, there's a little something for everybody.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:He really is, he really is a nice looking man.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:man. Vicky ain't bad either, you know?
F+N Shure MV7s-5:No, she's great to look at too. It's really just a beautiful, a lot of beautifulness happening.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:really beautiful film.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:is. It's a series on Netflix and, and I don't really know a lot about soccer or really, I mean, care about soccer that much, but it's really, really good. And you kind of like start to feel like you like soccer.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Nice, well. The mix
F+N Shure MV7s-5:between Ted Lasso and, You know, like, it actually becomes very much about their love story, about David and Victoria's love story. And it's like so sweet.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:You know what? I don't like soccer, but I do like Spice Girls, so I might be in for it. But we have to watch the last season of Love is Blind first.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:is there a new season of Love is Blind?
F+N Shure MV7s-6:a new
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Oh no. Clear my calendar. We also, The Golden Bachelor.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Yeah. It's it.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:I haven't either, and I'm, but it's on my list. We'll have to check that out.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:on
F+N Shure MV7s-5:lots of trash TV and some true documentary stuff. Okay,
F+N Shure MV7s-6:have to check that out. So, lots
F+N Shure MV7s-5:season yet! The
F+N Shure MV7s-6:trash TV and some true Women in business. Honestly, it's a kind of, I don't, do men do this?
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Oh, probably. We just don't hear about it.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:circles, so, because we're women. I think, I think just historically men
F+N Shure MV7s-5:I think, I think just historically men are a little bit less passive aggressive about it, so it probably just erupts faster.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:And men don't say as many words as women either. That's science.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:And just like stew about it and have anxiety over it and then, um, get triggered by people and then go and talk about it with other people and don't go straight to the root or straight to the person that we probably should be talking to about it. And it just festers and boils and turns into something bigger than it ever needs to be.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:to be. Does that sound
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Does that sound about right? I mean, I hate to put like all women in a box, but it's, it tends to be more of like something that we see in the women's circles.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Yeah.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:So we have a lot of opinions about it.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:We do we do and you know, it's it's funny because I think it's because we've been in business for so long and we've had you know, we've had A couple copiers throughout our lifetime and I, I don't feel like we get as triggered as we used to, like, I, I feel like there was times where it actually felt like, like a direct attack and you know, I think as we've moved on and we're just kind of like, you know, we, we, we know what we're doing. We're pretty secure with where we're at. Um, it's not quite as triggering as it is, as it used to be, but we still hear it a lot in. from our friends that maybe have newer businesses or from clients that are, you know, protective or, you know,
F+N Shure MV7s-5:I think there's, there's definitely like a difference between feeling. annoyed, like when some, like when I was doing to you before, like just copying everything you said and you're like, stop, that's actually really annoying. You can either, there's like different feelings that you can have when you notice somebody's copying you and one is just being really annoyed about it and you're like, okay, can you stop?
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Yeah.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:But you're not feeling threatened. So, that's kind of how I think we feel now, is like we kind of just feel a little bit annoyed about it, and like a little irked, or like, ugh, get your own ideas. Um, because you definitely notice it, and whether or not, we're going to get into this in a second, but whether or not they're really copying you or you just think they're copying you is another issue.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Mhmm.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:So I think that you can feel annoyed, you can feel threatened, like if they're actually copying, if people are actually copying something that could affect.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:you.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:That's more of a threatened feeling and you need to do something about that, or you feel like they need to do something about that. So we're going to talk about that scenario. And like, what else could you maybe feel like you might actually just start feeling insecure about your own ideas and how original they are. And maybe feeling like, Oh my gosh, is it that easy to copy me? Like, how can I stay ahead? And how can I start feeling scared? Like, I'm going to have to innovate, and you feel like you have to innovate out of necessity instead of from a creative place. Yeah, yeah, honestly there's nothing worse than being in that feeling. So, we,
F+N Shure MV7s-6:I'm going to have learned a few things over the years and we've got, we've been talking this out and we're excited to share with you some, uh, some tips that you can take, so hang with us and, um. We all are going to help you feel a little bit better about maybe being a little ripped off here and there.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Yeah. So, like, I don't know, I feel like it starts with usually you're on Instagram and you're sort of scrolling and you see something that maybe just looks like a little bit too familiar. You're like, where have I seen this before?
F+N Shure MV7s-6:like, a genius wrote that, I think.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:feel like a genius
F+N Shure MV7s-6:I'm pretty sure a genius wait, is that genius me? It's probably not. It's probably Franny. She's a really good writer.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Yeah. And then you're like. Wait, did ChatGPT write that for both of us? Did they write
F+N Shure MV7s-6:real problem! Where none of us are
F+N Shure MV7s-5:That's a real problem! Where none of
F+N Shure MV7s-6:going to be creative or original anymore because it's all going to be written
F+N Shure MV7s-5:be written. ChatGPT! I know, I know. I, I, I really, I think that, I mean that's a whole different episode is like
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Like, using Chats with BT to help you come up with ideas, but not to, like, actually write everything for you. Right. Uh,
F+N Shure MV7s-5:So, so, okay, where are we? So you're, you're scrolling and you see something and you're like, okay, this is another business in my same industry and maybe even worse in my same like location, in my same city, serving the same clients as me and, and, and, doing content or services or products or branding or whatever it is, exactly the same as what I have already put out there. You know what really sucks?
F+N Shure MV7s-6:What?
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Is when You hadn't had the idea and then you see somebody else do it, but you haven't put it out there yet.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:out there yet. Oh, that's so true. That happens all the time. It
F+N Shure MV7s-5:happens all the time and it's like, okay, so in that case, they aren't copying you because you haven't put it out there yet. And now you're going to look like the copier.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:like, how did they read my mind? Yeah. How dare they?
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Okay. So if that happens, this is, was not planned. This is a new thing. I have a story really quick. So when I was pregnant with Carter, um, we were at a, like a family party and I was like very pregnant. I was like eight months pregnant or, you know, six months pregnant or something. And we already had a name picked out, but we hadn't told anyone the name. We weren't going to tell people until he was born. And one of Chris's family members, like an extended family member came up to me at this party and said like, Oh, and she was newly pregnant, like a month pregnant. And she's like, yeah, we're thinking of names and blah, blah, blah. She starts listing all these names and she goes, um, one of the names I really like is Carter. And I was like, in that moment, I was like, oh my gosh, what do I do? What do I do? She's going to think I stole her name. I'm like, that's like a huge, like you do not do that. You know, I had to like tell her immediately. I was like, oh my gosh, that's our, that's the name. That's what we're naming our baby. I have to tell you right now, we weren't telling anybody, but I like, I already have a blanket with it embroidered. I'll show it to you. I promise. I promise. I promise. I didn't steal this from you. Listen, lady,
F+N Shure MV7s-6:you. I promise. I promise I didn't show it to you.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Yeah. And I was like, Oh my gosh, if I didn't speak up in that moment and let her know that we both liked the same name, um, which you know?
F+N Shure MV7s-6:name, Yeah. Everybody named the baby Carter that year. Literally, I think it's probably the most. What year was he born? 2008?
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Yeah, uh, yeah, no, yeah, and I
F+N Shure MV7s-6:like,
F+N Shure MV7s-5:But Chris and I had picked out that name when we were like in high school. We were like, what do we name her? Have a baby. We'll name him Carter. Like we always knew that was his name. And anyway, I was like, I can't let her think that I can't leave this without, you know, sharing that. And so I think ideas are just, I love, um, there's, there's something in big magic by Elizabeth Gilbert where she talks about ideas and how if you have an idea and you don't execute on it. The idea just kind of like floats around
F+N Shure MV7s-6:And then someone else
F+N Shure MV7s-5:it will land on someone else. Yes. So if you don't execute on your idea, it will find someone else. The idea will
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Yeah,
F+N Shure MV7s-5:through the air to someone else.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:well, it's it's kind of wild because when you think about and we're going to go into trends a little bit more, but like when you think about just the way that the world is influenced all at once, it's like it is, it kind of does feel like ideas. It's like an idea is eventually going to land somewhere. And then ideas that like fashion, like right now it is eerie to see the fashion that's happening. That was like. Our high school fashion. Yeah.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:You guys are copying us.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Yeah. It's like, stop copying me When are they gonna start sizzling their bangs? That's what I wanna
F+N Shure MV7s-5:is like that they would just be absolutely mortified to admit that they're copying us. No, because they think that we're so like lame.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:But the truth is, is that there's just like a certain amount of just unoriginality that just, it's like it's the way you do it.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Yeah. We're in the research for this episode. I asked the
F+N Shure MV7s-6:G P T. T
F+N Shure MV7s-5:GPT, we should like name it
F+N Shure MV7s-6:like
F+N Shure MV7s-5:George Paul Tyler or something. So
F+N Shure MV7s-6:It's a terrible name. Carter's a much better name.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:I mean, it sounds like, yeah, anyway. So I asked good old George. What, like, how far back does copying go? And it was like, Oh, you know, Egyptian times, like. Old Roman, you know, how often do you think about the Roman Empire It's like the, the, the fashion trends, the philosophers were like taking each other's ideas and building on them, or straight up copying them, or the architecture, like, it's not a coincidence that like a certain area of the world all has similar architecture. It's because they, they're being influenced by each other and building on that.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Right.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:And so when you feel like you're being copied, ask yourself. Am I sure that they're actually straight up copying me? Or are we both just being influenced by everything around us? And kind of sort of ending up coming up with similar ideas? Right.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Absolutely.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Most likely that's probably what's happening. We just kind of have this tendency to like, be the main character. Yeah. Right?
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Yeah.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:It's like, yeah, be the main character in your story. Right. But you might not be the main character in their story. Stop putting yourself in that. Right. And that was, uh, uh, uh, something that came up in a conversation with a friend the other day and we're like, wait, when you see it with somebody else, it looks, it's so clear. You're like, they're not copying you, but to the, to that person, it really feels like they are. Right.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Right. Yeah, and I mean it, it also depends on the level of, you know, security that you have in your own business too. I think that if you have a lot riding on it, maybe you're not as busy as you want to be. It's, you know, like there's, all in all, there's plenty of business to go around. Can you tell them about the, will you tell them about the, uh, pony, the bronies? Like just talking about
F+N Shure MV7s-5:this, because
F+N Shure MV7s-6:this, because that made me laugh so hard. The other day you were telling me about that.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Okay, so I recently gave a talk and in it I was talking about how everybody thinks they're in a saturated market. Everybody, you know, comes to us and they're like, I'm in such a saturated market, I'm a real estate agent, I'm a hairstylist, I'm a life coach, I'm a fitness instructor, I'm a XYZ, plug in your industry here. Anything, I don't really care what industry you're in, you think you're in a saturated market. And so to illustrate my point, I pulled up this slide and there's like a picture of all of these adults dressed up in cosplay
F+N Shure MV7s-6:cosplay
F+N Shure MV7s-5:as My Little Pony characters. And I said, did you know that in 2019, more than 10, 000 people came to a convention called BronyCon? These are adult fans of My Little Pony. And like, the men specifically call themselves bronies.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Yeah.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:And so, so it's called BronyCon. Like, this is a thing. Genius. 10, 000 people in one place, coming together in one place, right? She told me
F+N Shure MV7s-6:she told me that, and I'm like, I'm like, that's like what percentage of actual brownies went made it to the
F+N Shure MV7s-5:All of them,
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Oh, I don't think so. There's other
F+N Shure MV7s-5:There's a lot of bronies. So if you
F+N Shure MV7s-6:exist. So if you think about the percentage that can actually make it to the convention,
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Right, so there's actually more than that.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:way more than that bronys out there. Okay.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:so I had never heard of bronies until I found out about this convention and I was like, what? Hold on. All of these people, imagine you're a brony and you're at
F+N Shure MV7s-6:BronyCon and you're,
F+N Shure MV7s-5:BronyCon and you're just looking around and you're like, aww, I'm like so unoriginal. Look at all these other bronies around me. And you're like, we are all the same, like, I'm never gonna stand out, I, nobody's ever gonna think of me as like the brony. But like... Remove yourself from BronyCon and go back to your, like, neighborhood barbecue. You're probably the only brony that everybody in your neighborhood knows.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:They all buy you My Little Pony stuff.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:They when they see My Little Pony content, they're sending it to you. Because you're the one...
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Jonathan. Jonathan
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Jonathan is... Oh, I need to send this to my brony friend. Yeah. They think about brony when they, when they, when they think, when they see anything My Little Pony, they think of you as their brony friend. But when you're at the convention... You're just surrounded by bronies everywhere and you don't feel like you're going to stand out and that's what most people are doing in their business. They're just at BronyCon all the time because they're like getting, they're getting like just flooded with content from social media about their own industry. Like real estate agents are following all the other real estate agents in town and they're getting content from all of them. They're going to like Brokers Council meetings. They're going to Realtor award shows and conventions and blah, blah, blah, blah, all they're doing is talking about real estate all day long. They're just always at BronyCon, but for their industry.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Right. And so you're so, and if you're not as busy as you want to be, then you're sitting here like everybody's doing what I'm doing. There's not enough business to go around and you feel like, like so protective of your acorns. Like you're like, I just, I don't know, just neurotic and the, do you know what happens when you get in that place where all you can focus on is protecting your, your precious ideas. That aren't really original ideas. They're just what we're all influenced by. And you're so protective over it that you can't think of anything new. You can't have white space. You can't have new, actual, unique ideas.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:it just paralyzes you. Paralyzes you. And it makes you not want to put anything out there at all.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Uh, yeah.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Or you're like, if I put this out there, somebody's going to copy it or whatever. Yeah. It's like, well, then I guess let the idea float on off to somebody else. Right. And then don't be mad when they do it. Right. Because you didn't.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Ugh.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:And so, okay, the BronyCon analogy is, is cool because you just have to remember that in your own circles, like, okay, I get tagged all the time on Facebook posts. Every once in a while, when I actually log into Facebook and I look at my notifications, people are tagging me in things where, some random group, somebody will say, Oh, does anybody know a good headshot photographer? And people are like, tagging me, like personally, like, Franny Wilson! And I'm like, how funny, like, that's what they're, like, this random person I haven't talked to in five years is going, Oh, I know somebody who does headshots, and I'm gonna tag Franny. Well, I could tell you 20 people in Boise that do headshots. Right. But that person is only thinking about me. Right. And tagging me.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Right.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:And everybody else is tagging other people, and
F+N Shure MV7s-6:only brony they know. I'm
F+N Shure MV7s-5:the only brownie they know. I'm the first one that comes to mind. Right. Because I talk about headshots a lot.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Which is funny, because headshots is such a small part of what we do. So, it just goes to show, like, the, just the overall grand scheme of influence that we have. Like, in our own world, in our own circles. And there's
F+N Shure MV7s-5:can actually, Yes. There is enough business to go around and you can actually be in control of What you're known for by making sure that you're talking about those things a lot
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Mm hmm,
F+N Shure MV7s-5:we talk about very specifically branding photography and Branding strategy and all of that stuff. I don't want to be known as just a photographer I don't want to be tagged in post when people are asking for a family photographer or a wedding photographer anymore
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Mm hmm.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:So what is the thing that you want people to? Like what is your version of brony? Like what do you want that to be now? This episode is turning into a branding episode. So we're gonna
F+N Shure MV7s-6:okay. Every, every episode for us is a branding. Every
F+N Shure MV7s-5:problem Every problem is a branding
F+N Shure MV7s-6:problem. Every problem is a branding problem.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Which this actually is a branding problem being copied is a branding problem And we're gonna do a follow up episode about when you're the copier and how to not How do I come up with original things and make sure that you are? Staying true to your brand in that way, but like, okay, let's go back to when you realize that you're being copied.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Okay. So, first off, you have to ask yourself, is this main character syndrome? Am I obsessed with the idea of people being obsessed with me? Honestly, because a lot of the times, sadly, in these women's groups, sometimes that is the case. I have had, you know, some friends that are just like, oh my gosh, so and so is always da da da. And it's like, are they though? Like, like, you know, sometimes you have to be your own voice of reason or even ask people. around you and
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Like, do you think they're copying me or am I just like
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Am I, am I being crazy? Like, I say that to Franny sometimes. I'm like, am I being crazy about this? Or, you know, about all sorts of things. Cause sometimes having a, just a second opinion of like, okay, hold on. Like, is this in my head or is this for real? Yeah. Looking
F+N Shure MV7s-5:at it from all the different sides and putting yourself in their shoes is really powerful. And, I mean, we, we were just talking about this before, we've had people come up to us and say, Oh my gosh, did you guys see so and so's copying you? And they're trying to stir up drama. And I go, wait, what do you mean? And I go check it out. And then I'm like, no, this is just a industry.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:that so and so was also doing a course launch? And we're like,
F+N Shure MV7s-5:because
F+N Shure MV7s-6:clutch my pearls!
F+N Shure MV7s-5:pearls,
F+N Shure MV7s-6:No one else makes digital courses but us.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Yeah. It's like half the time you people are trying to stir up drama and we go look at it and we're like, no. Or even, even something that is really similar to something we do, and we're like, no, we didn't invent that. Mm-hmm. we didn't not invent like
F+N Shure MV7s-6:headshot days. Right.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:know, or mini sessions or something. Like that's not a proprietary thing. Yeah.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Yeah.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Um, the problem comes up when someone's copying everything you're doing. Like, like one thing isolated here and there is just like industry standard practice. And it's just normal for other people that do what we do to do the same thing. And we're, we're not, we didn't invent that. We don't have intellectual property, copyright, or anything on that stuff.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:photographers do mini sessions. There you go. If you're a photographer and you're not doing mini sessions, um, go ahead and do them. You're not copying
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Yeah, they're actually a really great way to, to let people test the waters with you.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:It's a really
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Um, so like, okay, here's my thing. Here's another analogy
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Okay.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:for me. I just don't, I just don't have time or space to like, let myself go off on being Mad about this kind of thing because it's just not worth it. So unless someone is Ripping off something Really really specific like that is copyrighted material like our course materials or a resource or a tool or something that we've published And they're just like taking it and sell it reselling it or something like obviously in that case. I would take action
F+N Shure MV7s-6:mm-hmm.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:And I think there's like a question like is this something that would actually hold up in court?
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Mm-hmm.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:And can you prove it?
F+N Shure MV7s-6:right
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Or is it just like a, uh, she's copying me kind of thing?
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Yeah. Like, is it drama or is this legal? Right. Like I, I, I think when with legal stuff, Ask yourself, is this, you know, word for word what I'm putting out. Is this actually like a PDF verbatim that I've created? Is this actual artwork that I've created that I have not given permission to resell?
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Yeah, or a copy that you actually wrote in, like, on your website or in an email or in an Instagram post that's being like... Mad libbed almost exactly how you wrote it, and that's happening a lot. That's something that you could prove side by side and be like,
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Or even, uh, as photographers, you know, using... We've, we've seen people use our images before and claim that they're theirs.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Oh, yeah.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:And then, um,
F+N Shure MV7s-5:That was crazy. That was totally crazy. I remember
F+N Shure MV7s-6:your likeness, so if people are actually using pictures of you, then, and imitating you, then yes, obviously. Legal action or, you know, cease and desist. But,
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Yeah.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:but yeah, if it's questionable, like... Hold on, we need to back up to that.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:But yeah, I forgot about that.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Yeah.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:This was years ago, but this woman started like a, a newborn and family photography business and just stole a bunch of photos from our blog
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Mm hmm.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:and put them on her blog and said they were her photo sessions.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Yeah, I can't even remember what we did about that.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:We sent her a cease and desist letter. And then we didn't like try to sue her or anything because like, I mean, what are you going to get out of that? You know,
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Yeah. I don't think she's super busy. She doesn't even have her own work to post.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Yeah, we didn't have time to pursue that, but like she was in another state and all this stuff that we're like, Oh, hello, actually someone else saw it and sent it to us. So like, I'm pretty sure you guys did this.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Which is wild.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:It is wild. But there's a lot of things that photographers can do specifically. You can like reverse search some of your images and see if people are doing that. It's crazy how many people do that. Okay. I forgot about that. But we're talking more about when you're like, Oh, somebody's copying all my ideas, and like, my business model.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:I made a reel with that sound.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:I that's, that's just the name of the game.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:I, I did that, I pointed at text. On mine.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:that. It was mine. I don't think that's what we're talking about either, necessarily. It's more like when Someone's copying your systems and your, like, the way that you build your offers and the way that you explain your business and, like, all of it. Or even, like, your voice and your brand and your colors and your designs and all of that. It starts to become really uncomfortable when you, like, notice that that's, that somebody's, like, actually just copying everything you do. So, um, okay. My analogy is, like, is this. My Grandma makes these amazing chocolate chip cookies. Like, I mean, does your grandma make amazing chocolate chip cookies?
F+N Shure MV7s-6:She does. She puts raisins in them,
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Oh, we all know the grandma's chocolate chip cookies. Or like you have something that you can maybe think about that somebody makes something that you just love. And every time you have it, you, it tastes the same and it's like, Oh my gosh. Like, I can't wait. I mean, I have a million stories like that about things that I love and I have asked my grandma for the recipe. for the chocolate chip cookies recipe before and tried to make it and it does not matter if I follow the recipe exactly. Something about him is off. There's just something about it that when she makes them,
F+N Shure MV7s-6:They're better.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:maybe she's holding out on a secret ingredient. I don't know. I wouldn't put it past her. We all will tell the mashed potato story another day. I can't trust that woman anymore. After the mashed potatoes story, that's a whole different thing. But the chocolate chips, right? The chocolate chip cookies are amazing. There's something about them that when she makes them, they're just better. And when I try to copy the recipe, it just falls short at least a little bit, if not like completely misses the mark. And I think that if you're really, if you are the one who invented the recipe and you're the one who built it from the ground up and you've created this business and you have clients flocking to you and you have a tribe of loyal. Loyalists, you have built a brand that can withstand being copied because nobody's going to do it exactly like you. Everybody's recipe, even if they follow the recipe exactly,
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Yeah, they don't have the same
F+N Shure MV7s-5:not you.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Yeah.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Maybe that just, maybe yeah, maybe your oven, like maybe you're at a different elevation or something and there's like this weird thing going on that you have like more gravitational pull in your house. I don't know. The cookies just aren't the same. And so, you don't have to worry, and it's actually just not worth, um, it's not worth compromising your own cookies
F+N Shure MV7s-6:to
F+N Shure MV7s-5:go try to sabotage their cookie recipe.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:I like that, it's not worth compromising your own cookies.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:it's not
F+N Shure MV7s-6:No, it's not.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Just keep making your amazing cookies that people love, because they can try. They can try to make your cookies, but they're not gonna be the same. They're not
F+N Shure MV7s-6:cookies, but they're not going to be holding out on something.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:You might be holding out on something.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:what you're doing, Barbara.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Well, really,
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Barbara, if you're listening to this.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Okay. Remember friends when, when, um, when Monica was trying to replicate the cookie recipe.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:I don't know
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Okay. So, so Phoebe's, this is literally like the same. I didn't, I can't believe that I didn't think about this.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:My brain probably just copied the
F+N Shure MV7s-5:My brain probably just copied the story from Friends. Yeah, subconsciously. So in Friends, Phoebe has this like, her grandma makes these chocolate chip cookies, yes! And Monica is like, I need your grandma's cookie recipe. She's trying to figure it out. She's trying to reverse engineer the cookies. And she's tasting them and trying to figure out what the grandma put into the cookies. Without having the actual recipe. And she cannot figure it out, no matter what. Like, she tries a million different things. She keeps making more and more batches. She's like, maybe it needs vanilla, maybe it needs nutmeg, like, I don't know. But, like, she keeps trying.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:salt. Sea salt's the
F+N Shure MV7s-5:And she can't not crack the code. She can't make them taste exactly the same, no matter what she does. Because she doesn't have the recipe. And, finally, Phoebe says, like, like, Oh yeah, my grandma's famous, like, she says like, it's like French, Nestle Toulouse.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Toulouse.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:You don't remember this? And Monica goes, what did you just say? She's like, Nestle Toulouse. She goes, Nestle Toll House? And they're like, she grabs the chocolate chip cookies and looks at the recipe on the back of the bag. And Phoebe's like, oh my god, that's my grandma's recipe! You know, it's like actually really simple. It's just on the back of the chocolate chips bag. But anyway, like, that's actually a better example of this because they actually don't have your recipe. They don't know all of the inner workings and all of your knowledge and all, they're trying to copy it from just tasting the cookie and then like building up the recipe.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Right.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:And, and you do, you are holding out on some things because they're not, you know, like, But I just have to say, like, even if they did have the recipe, even if they could break it down and really follow every single little thing you're doing, even if they had like a spy inside your business, they're still not you.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Right.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:And it doesn't matter.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:it doesn't matter. Okay. I love it. So good. So what do we do? What do we do when we have a copycat?
F+N Shure MV7s-5:I don't know, Nicole. I'm going to let you take this one. Okay. So,
F+N Shure MV7s-6:so if you have a copycat and you're like, let's just say you're like in enraged I've seen you guys i've seen you
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Well, I felt that feeling.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:i've been there. I've seen it. Yeah, you're feeling rage. You're feeling upset. You're feeling You know, copied. It's really like a vulnerable situation, especially if you really need your business to succeed and So there are a couple of things that you can do. The first thing to do is to take a deep breath and just give it some give it a minute like
F+N Shure MV7s-5:recognize that you're being triggered.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:that you are triggered and that you are in a heightened state of feeling So we recommend sit down
F+N Shure MV7s-5:and journal. If you
F+N Shure MV7s-6:just get out, brain dump, say all the nasty things that you want to say, get it down on paper. And just get it, get it out of your head onto something and just try to dissect it and put it into the English language. Do
F+N Shure MV7s-5:it
F+N Shure MV7s-6:act when you are in the person.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:into the not
F+N Shure MV7s-6:No. Do not
F+N Shure MV7s-5:reach out to the person, do not comment publicly on their Instagram post, do not forward it to all of your friends. Like, just hold on, don't act
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Never
F+N Shure MV7s-5:you're in that state.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:I just, I'm such a calm, not reactive person.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Yeah, we're definitely not speaking, we're, we're totally perfect.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Yeah, not speaking. We're totally perfect. No, I'm like, I'm guilty.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:because, like, I mean, I can think of times when I've reacted when I'm in that state and really regretted, like, my own actions. Even if I didn't, like, attack someone personally, but just being like, okay, I caused, Like, I brought, like, even if I brought, like, one other person into it that didn't need to be brought into it. Yeah. Or, you know, putting that burden on them at all. Right. And then afterwards you're like, ugh, I acted really immaturely. Yeah. So, so just, yeah, catch yourself. Be self aware.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Yeah. Get, get it out in like the safety of your own. Onto paper. Yeah. And you know what? Actually, I have done that. Not about specifically this, but like I have done like an angry journaling session before. And honestly, when I had 24 hours with it, I was like, that was embarrassing.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:I don't think
F+N Shure MV7s-6:God I didn't tell anybody about that. And then it's like, I like rip it up or throw it away. I'm like, no one can ever see this because it's
F+N Shure MV7s-5:like, what if, what if,
F+N Shure MV7s-6:like, what if, what if you, you would have told the person like what you wanted
F+N Shure MV7s-5:you can't unsay that. And I think...
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Really,
F+N Shure MV7s-5:just like need to let ourselves process things and then, and then decide if we want to let it go. And we used to, we used to have this kind of inside joke. I mean, like an inside joke stays forever. So we still have the inside joke, but back when we had our store papery and pen, there was this vendor that kept trying to get us to sell their product and it was called flying wish paper. And it was like this pro we never brought it in because. That was funny. But anyway, they brought us all these samples and we were like, okay, let's do an activity with this. And it's actually like kind of a cool concept. We should have brought it in. It was just their
F+N Shure MV7s-6:we should start selling it now.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:So flying wish paper. It's like you write a thought or a message on this paper that you like need to ceremoniously let go of and you write something on here. It's actually like.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:a really cathartic practice.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:We were just like, we were just like, We just want cute bandeau stuff.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Yeah.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:It just wasn't really on brand for our store.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Yeah. Really. But great concept.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:It was a great concept. So you would write whatever you need to let go of on this paper, and then you would burn it, and it would like, kind of like, flutter up into the sky.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:they have like a recommendation for like the way you folded it, and then you could burn it, and it like, it was kind of like one of those Chinese lanterns, like something in the way you folded it, like it would like lift off.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Yeah, and then it would just sort of
F+N Shure MV7s-6:disintegrate in the
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Yeah.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Of fire.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:And so you kind of have like a little moment where you like let it go, literally. Yeah. And you let it just fly away. Yeah. So, yeah, write it, get it out.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:And burn it.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:And then write it on flying wish paper.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Yeah, or just regular paper and just burn it. But be careful not to burn
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Or like, write it in an email draft, but don't send it.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Or like, write it in an email I actually do this when I'm mad at my husband. I write an email and I just don't put anything in the to, into the send to, or put your own email address just in case it gets sent. And just say what you want to say. But this is like a little bit more filtered than, than the journaling activity. Because there is always that like little spot in the back of your head where you're like, what if I accidentally sent it to them? So like, what if? You know, it's like you, you logically know that you didn't put their email address in there, but you're like, but what if it digs into them, you know?
F+N Shure MV7s-5:like we need to put in a disclaimer really quick. We are absolutely not like mental health.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:shouldn't even, you shouldn't even take any of our, any of our advice. But this does work though, I'm not, I'm, for real.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:It is really helpful to just get it out so that you feel like it came out of your own head and out through your fingertips and then, and then sit on it for like a couple days. And chances are once you calm down and you go back to normal life and you get back to work, you're going to forget about it.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:And
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Or when you, when it does pop back into your head, it's not gonna be as emotionally charged. Right. As it was when you, when you were triggered.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Right. And so if you do, okay, so then let's say you do come back to it and you're like, okay.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:I've
F+N Shure MV7s-6:had a moment to settle down. Maybe I want to change my wording, but maybe I still want to send this And if you're at that point and you've had time to sit on it and you're like, okay I'm absolutely not being crazy. This is something that I need to get off my chest. I need to tell them I need to confront them Whatever then just hopefully at that point you've had enough Time with it to like make sure you're not gonna regret what you say.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Yeah. And then you can come back and read what you wrote from a new place and edit it down to like, you know, think about when you send it, like think about being the person receiving it. Yeah. And how are they gonna react? Like, are you gonna create an enemy? Are you gonna create more problems for yourself?
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Or drama. More drama. Yeah.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:And. And how do you expect them to react? Maybe think about that and what would be the best case scenario and maybe what's the worst case scenario of how they're going to react. The chances are they might just completely ignore it. Um, or they might respond with, like, in denial. Or they might respond and be, like, really nice about it. But you have to, like, kind of be prepared for all the scenarios if you hit send.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Yeah Yeah, absolutely. And so on that note of thinking about being the person receiving it Like, before you even write the email, think about what, think about the person who you believe copied you. Like, put yourself in their shoes. Like, do you think that this was malicious? Do you think it was on purpose? Do you think it was, like, they're really trying to rip off your company? Like, or are they seeing something that's working and that maybe they, they are inspired by you? Or, you know, like, kind of think about who is this person? Are they actually trying to harm me?
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Yeah. Well, and think about where did you get the idea from in the first place?
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Uh, seriously though? Okay, if you are a entrepreneur, I swear, I mean, there are like 20 go to business books. That probably, that like
F+N Shure MV7s-5:We're all reading the same
F+N Shure MV7s-6:We're all reading the same freaking books.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Yeah. Like... We're listening to the same podcasts.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:podcast.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:come on. Yeah, totally. They might be listening to the same podcast as you. Yeah. So, yeah, put yourself in their shoes. Everyone...
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Yeah. Everybody actually are people. They're just people and they really have feelings and like, you know,
F+N Shure MV7s-5:actually are people.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:struggles
F+N Shure MV7s-5:They're just people and they really are people. And they really have feelings and like, you know, struggles and their own issues. And, so, I don't know. For me, personally, I usually can kind of just roll my eyes and be like, okay, and then let
F+N Shure MV7s-6:to that annoying. It's like, okay, this is annoying, but it's not something to act on.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:And I'm not going to take action on it. I'm not going to like, wish them anything, anything ill, like any ill wish will, whatever that saying is. No, no ill will? Is that the word?
F+N Shure MV7s-6:ill wish will.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Yeah. Um, but it's like, good luck trying to make my cookies. Yeah. Like, I, I just need to stay focused on what we're building and serving our customers the best that we can. And there are other customers who. Are going to be perfect for that other business.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Yeah.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:And I, I don't want them. I want the people who are perfect for us. And so like, if you stay focused on that as your main, like guiding thing, and if you have a really solid mission statement and a, like, a why for your business and why you exist and knowing having something that is your North star and like what you're creating products and services around, then you're not going to accidentally. Um, copy someone, and you're not going to be like, so put off when somebody starts to copy you. You're like, well, I know what I'm doing. Yeah. I know where I'm trying to get. Right. And if I am so worried about that, I'm just going to like, not be able to focus on getting there.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Totally. Totally. And sometimes, I mean, our bodies, like, if you think about, if you think about our reptile brain, when do they say that? Back to our reptile brain. I mean, really though, like, feeling, what are we doing? We're trying, we're, it's a protection mechanism. Like, we're protecting our nest egg. We're protecting our own acorns, right? And, That can be triggering, it can be upsetting, with good reasons sometimes. And sometimes you just need to like, go for a walk. Or,
F+N Shure MV7s-5:go, go boxing.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:I'm not a boxer, but Franny is.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:is. I'm not kidding you guys. If you have anxiety or any kind of triggering things, like, There is nothing like literally letting that energy out of your body through your fists. I'm not kidding! It's like, nope. Try it and tell me otherwise. Fight me on this one. You'll lose.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:don't know this one. You'll lose. I mean, yeah, I'm not gonna
F+N Shure MV7s-5:I'm gonna drag you there one of these days. But
F+N Shure MV7s-6:But just exerting some physical activity really does bring down anxiety about, I mean, about anything. This really, copying is just one part of it. It's like, move your body. Being an entrepreneur, being a business owner, just letting out, we're so much happier when we're able to let out some of this energy and just like, it makes your brain work better, it makes you more level headed, it physically reduces tension and anxiety. I, I mean, it's always the first thing to go when I'm busy, but it's honestly the, the thing I need most when I am, because It's the
F+N Shure MV7s-5:number one most important thing.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Yes, it absolutely is.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:And, and it trickles down through into everything in your business and in your life, so. So if you're feeling a lot of anxiety,
F+N Shure MV7s-6:It trickles down through into everything in, you know, about anything, it's like, as a business owner, just, yeah, like, try to move your body and focus on positive things and how you can move forward.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:to make your own cookies, man.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Just make your own frickin cookies. Or think about what the next recipe that you want to make. And it's like, I'm so good at making cookies, maybe I want to make...
F+N Shure MV7s-5:to make... Brownies.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:Yeah, lemon bars or something.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Now I'm getting hungry. Good job. Yeah.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:So hopefully that's helpful for you. I think that the, the biggest thing is really taking the time. Just, just don't act when you are, just take a minute and take a deep breath. I, I know it's like so cliche, but for real, like for real, like actually breathe and remove yourself from the situation and get, Oh, and also talk to the people around you that you trust. Non dramatic people. Like don't, don't talk to the friend that like, likes to talk about other people. Like talk to the friend who is like your level headed voice of reason. And, you know, or your spouse or whoever that, that you really feel like can talk you off the ledge. Because sometimes we are, we have that main character syndrome where we're just feeling like a targeted individual.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Yeah.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:And you know what? Not everyone's trying to kill you.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:They might not even have, they might be subconsciously copying you, like they might not realize that they're copying you, or you, yeah, they might be completely like unaware of what you're doing completely. Yeah. And you're like, making up this story. Yeah. So, if you can't really answer that, if you're not sure, I would recommend letting it go.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:go. My last thing on this
F+N Shure MV7s-5:paper. Let it go. Yeah, I think. You can not dry grass. My last thing on this too is If you make the conscious decision to let something go, then catch yourself when it starts coming back up again. And if you need to just like, mute them on social media, or something to keep them out of your awareness, that's okay. Cause if they're triggering to you, like, you don't have time for that. So, I would just, but, catch yourself when you feel triggered by them again, and remind yourself like, okay, I already made the decision to let go of this. I don't need to go through this again. I don't need to like, process this whole thing all over again. I already made the decision. to let this go, and unless they're doing something completely new and different, if it's just the same thing over and over again, which it probably is, you've made the decision to let it go, and now you can just either kind of like, laugh about it, or just remind yourself and check yourself again. It's just all about self awareness. And I catch myself doing it all the time. I'm like, uh oh, I'm being triggered, why? Why? I've had this feeling before. Oh yeah, I already decided to let this one go. Cool. That is, like, my, thank you, past self, for making that decision.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:to
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Yeah. Let's move onward and upward. Yeah, I mean,
F+N Shure MV7s-6:one go. Yeah, I feel like nothing is... I, I'm, I mean, my anxiety over the years, you know, it's like I will just like run myself into a tizzy sometimes, and I just, you just have to remind yourself like, is this worth feeling this way?
F+N Shure MV7s-5:And,
F+N Shure MV7s-6:You know, sometimes I do have to just, you know, tackle it, but like let yourself have a minute, ask yourself if you're, you know, are you being crazy or is this actually something worth talking about? And sometimes, I mean, with any conflict in your life and business, sometimes you just need to be like. Okay, I'm like, I'm just like feeling, I'm feeling like maybe I'm being copied,
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Yeah.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:you know, and be real about it and like be a human and come at it from a human place. But with business, it's really, remember, remember BronyCon, like there is enough business to go around. You are not, probably not the only person who does what you do. So, I promise that if you do it very, very well and you serve people in the best right way and you really know who your ideal customer is, you're, no one can do it like you.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:right.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:you. Nobody's you.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Nobody's you When you look at the sea of bronies, they all look the same But really each one is unique Yeah, like some of them have like some of them have a purple mane and some of them have like a star
F+N Shure MV7s-6:they all look the same,
F+N Shure MV7s-5:on their face. And I think that is a great place to end this. Lots of people do what you do, but nobody is you. Wow, that was like a real Dr. Seuss thing. Lots of people do what you do, but in the end, nobody is you.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:nobody is quite like you.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:Nobody is quite like you. All right, we're going to, we're going to roll into a part two on this and that's going to be, um, our ideas on how to make sure that you're not the copier.
F+N Shure MV7s-6:What if...
F+N Shure MV7s-5:What if you're the copier?
F+N Shure MV7s-6:What if the call is coming from inside the house? That's right, right? Yeah. Yeah.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:think we should stop. Are you turning this
F+N Shure MV7s-6:You're in charge
F+N Shure MV7s-5:We'll see
F+N Shure MV7s-6:don't... Like, you're looking at me like I'm gonna stop it.
F+N Shure MV7s-5:you guys next week. We were talking about how to not be the copier and come up with original ideas. Thanks for being here with us.
