Wednesday, May 17, 2017

leadership dot #1811: specialize

I was recently offered a free document: “30 Successful Online Business Ideas.” I accepted, thinking that I may glean some information that could help me with leadership dots. What I received was a listing of current online businesses, curated to show the wide variety of niches an independent person can establish to hang their virtual shingle.
Companies currently exist in these narrow fields:
> Training cats to use the toilet
> Reviews on high quality wristwatches
> Training parrots
> Gaining 20 pounds of muscle as a skinny guy
> Style advice for men
> Ex-pickup artist teaches how to connect better with women
It reminded me of an article I read many years ago about the importance of being a specialist rather than a generalist. Dale Dauten shared the story of a photographer who was hired by National Geographic because he was “getting really interested in cannibalistic butterflies.” It seems that everyone else came in with pretty pictures of animals and an interest to do anything outdoors. Nothing made them stand out.
Dauten concludes: “The exciting job doesn’t go to the person asking for something interesting, but to the person offering something interesting.”
Whether you are an entrepreneur, solopreneur or work for an organization – how can you offer something that makes you stand out?
How cannibalistic butterflies can eat up a job search by Dale Dauten, St. Louis Post Dispatch, February 23, 2008

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