Rework jason fried

Out-teach your competition 
 
You can advertise. You can hire salespeople. You can sponsor events. But your 
competitors are doing the same things. How does that help you stand out? 
 
Instead of trying to outspend, outsell, or outsponsor competitors, try to out-teach 
them. Teaching probably isn't something your competitors are even thinking about. Most 
businesses focus on selling or servicing, but teaching never even occurs to them. 
 
The Hoefler Type Foundry teaches designers about type at Typography.com. 
Etsy, an online store for things handmade, holds entrepreneurial workshops that explain 
"best practices" and promotional ideas to people who sell at the site. Gary Vaynerchuk, 
who owns a large wine shop, teaches people about wine online at Wine Library TV, and 
tens of thousands of people watch every day.  
 
Teach and you'll form a bond you just don't get from traditional marketing tactics. 

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Buying people's attention with a magazine or online banner ad is one thing. Earning their 
loyalty by teaching them forms a whole different connection. They'll trust you more. 
They'll respect you more. Even if they don't use your product, they can still be your fans. 
 
Teaching is something individuals and small companies can do that bigger 
competitors can't. Big companies can afford a Super Bowl ad; you can't. But you can 
afford to teach, and that's something they'll never do, because big companies are obsessed 
with secrecy. Everything at those places has to get filtered through a lawyer and go 
through layers of red tape. Teaching is your chance to outmaneuver them. 
 
 
 
 
 
Emulate chefs 
 
You've probably heard of Emeril Lagasse, Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, Julia Child, 
Paula Deen, Rick Bayless, or Jacques Pepin. They're great chefs, but there are a lot of 
great chefs out there. So why do you know these few better than others? Because they 
share everything they know. They put their recipes in cookbooks and show their 
techniques on cooking shows. 
 
As a business owner, you should share everything you know too. This is 
anathema to most in the business world. Businesses are usually paranoid and secretive. 

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They think they have proprietary this and competitive advantage that. Maybe a rare few 
do, but most don't. And those that don't should stop acting like those that do. Don't be 
afraid of sharing. 
 
A recipe is much easier to copy than a business. Shouldn't that scare Mario 
Batali? Why would he go on TV and show you how he does what he does? Why would 
he put all his recipes in cookbooks where anyone can buy and replicate them? Because he 
knows those recipes and techniques aren't enough to beat him at his own game. No one's 
going to buy his cookbook, open a restaurant next door, and put him out of business. It 
just doesn't work like that. Yet this is what many in the business world think will happen 
if their competitors learn how they do things. Get over it. 
 
So emulate famous chefs. They cook, so they write cookbooks. What do you do? 
What are your "recipes"? What's your "cookbook"? What can you tell the world about 
how you operate that's informative, educational, and promotional? This book is our 
cookbook. What's yours? 
 
 

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