Observe the Masses and Do the Opposite: Finding Your Differentiator
Contributed by SBOC Member:
Pat Miller
Founder of the Small Business Owners Community
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The James Kahn Quote That Stopped Me Cold
“Observe the masses and do the opposite.” — James Kahn
That quote from James Kahn, the British investor on Dragon’s Den, stopped me mid-scroll. Because right now, everyone is using AI to write their content. Everyone sounds the same. Everyone is synthesizing their way to the middle.
AI pulls together the average of everything out there and hands you something “intelligent.” But average isn’t remarkable. Average doesn’t cut through. Average is forgettable.
A Guided Exercise: Find Your Differentiator
Grab a notebook. I want you to answer three questions:
Question 1: What’s the hottest trend in your industry right now?
What’s the thing everybody’s doing? The strategy everyone’s following? The platform everyone’s obsessed with?
Question 2: What’s a “best practice” that makes you absolutely crazy?
Something everyone says you MUST do—but it just makes you see spots. You think it’s stupid. You think it’s unproductive. You think it’s bad for your industry.
Question 3: What do you wish people would stop doing?
That thing that makes you think “Oh my God, stop doing that. You sound like an idiot.”
Why These Questions Matter
Those visceral reactions—the ones where you think “that’s so stupid” or “I hate when people do that”—that’s not immaturity. That’s your gut talking.
That emotional reaction that something is ineffective or silly or needs to stop? That’s the weaponized version of your intuition.
Your Negotiator vs. Your Gut
Here’s the thing about being authentic. It doesn’t mean sharing that you spilled your coffee this morning. It means being true to what you believe. True to what you feel. True to that gut reaction.
Your negotiator wants you to fit in. Your negotiator helps you not ruffle feathers. Your negotiator makes you a solid B.
Your gut wants you to stand out. Your gut helps you be one of one. Your gut makes you an A.
I didn’t quit my broadcasting job to be a solid B. I’m guessing you didn’t start your business to blend in either.
What Would You Do If You Ran the Company?
When you think about that thing—the one your gut is telling you to pursue—I want you to remember this phrase:
“What would you do if you ran the company?”
And then remember: you DO run the company. You don’t need anyone’s permission. As they say on the internet right now: you can just do things.
The Bottom Line
Observe the masses. Do the opposite. Make history. Make yourself proud.
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Contributed by
Pat Miller
Founder of the Small Business Owners Community
Pat spent two decades in broadcasting management and hosting. After leaving the radio industry, he spent time consulting small businesses and realized the support system for entrepreneurs was broken. Where could you find help for improving small businesses and building real connections with other like-minded people. In June of 2020, the Idea Collective Small Business Community was born.