When it comes to side hustles competition can be fierce.
I found this to be especially true when it came to freelancing.
I mean, at first I didn’t notice it. But after trying my hand at freelance writing all of a sudden it seemed like every blog I visited had a “hire me” page offering writing services. And honestly, many of the bloggers were better writers than I was.
But that didn’t stop me.
After getting into the groove of things I realized it didn’t matter how many people were doing what I was doing. There’s always a way to succeed.
And there’s one question you can ask to find that success.
What’s the ONE Thing You Can Do Better than Your Competition?
What is that one thing that you can crush your competition on?
You don’t have to be amazing at everything. But if you can find that one area where you’re better than the competition that’s all you need.
This is your unique selling proposition in the business world.
And when you focus on that one skillset, you can use it to your advantage.
For instance, one month I needed to make more writing money. I started to think about the smartest way I could go about this. One of my strengths is my writing speed. If I have a topic I can get a blog post completed pretty quickly.
Knowing that many bloggers were using sponsored posts as a monetization method and needed advertiser posts wrote quickly, I decided that fit my skillset nicely. I contacted one of my existing clients, pitched the idea, and he sent me six extra posts to write that same week.
I helped him. He helped me.
This not only gave me extra work but turned into a nice portion of my income, and still is today.
It was a complete win.
This question applies to every single side hustle out there. Focus on what you’re the best at and use that to your advantage.
How this Will Apply to the 7 Day Side Hustle – Amazon FBA
Now I need to apply this question to Amazon FBA. What are the things I can do better than my competition?
Fortunately, I came up with two things: SEO and Copywriting.
First of all, I know how to use keywords and optimize for search engines. Amazon is a search engine and a HUGE one at that.
Secondly, over the last few months I’ve taken a couple of copywriting jobs. This has given me much needed practice in writing copy that actually SELLS. This one thing has the potential to make a huge difference in my online selling.
The Scenario
Think about it like this: you’re searching for a new product on Amazon. You click on the first search result and under the description there’s one sentence. It doesn’t explain anything about the product and it certainly doesn’t make you want to buy it.
So you keep searching. Finally, you find the description you were looking for – one that convinced you to hit the buy button.
As I’ve been researching I’ve only seen the copywriting tip come from one person, which makes me think other sellers aren’t placing a whole lot of importance on it. But it is important.
I for one am not going to buy a product that I haven’t used before unless there is a description that clearly tells me what I’m going to get.
By using some copywriting techniques I can not only accurately describe the products I’m selling, but I can also be persuasive in my writing.
I may not be an Amazon expert but this is the one area in which I feel like I have an advantage over other sellers.
USE YOUR ADVANTAGE
To put it plainly it would be stupid not use the skills you have to your advantage. That’s exactly what every other successful business owner has done to rise to the top.
You should do it, too.
So think about it. If you’re trying to start a new side business or even looking for a new job where are you better than your competition?
Figure it out. Use it to your advantage.
What skill can you use to your advantage in your side business or job?
So I just wrote a long comment talking about how great this blog is, and then I entered the wrong solution to the math problem and it all got deleted! Probably not a good time to mention that I’m an analyst. lol.
In all seriousness, this post makes a good point. It’s amazing how many money making opportunities may be right under your nose. All you need to do is find something creative that you are good at and get to business!
Let’s see if I can answer this problem correctly the second time round.
Thanks for trying twice, Rob 🙂 In all seriousness I hate having that math problem at the end but I’m having some major spams problems and right now it’s the only plugin that’s solving the problem.
But yes, if people just look for what they’re good at it, or what they’re really good at inside a give niche, they will succeed!
My math solving skills need work too. 😉 Anyway, I get what you are saying and I have to say that I am glad you don’t like the competition get you down. That finding what you are good at helped you get more writing jobs at the end. I honestly can’t wait to read about this side hustle. 🙂
This post came at the exact right time for me!! I think it’s important to be aware of your own value as you go through life. It’s a very intense thing to shout from the rooftops how awesome you are…if you’ve been in the habit of shying away from communicating how amazing you are. I speak from experience 🙂
Yes you have to find your own value and not be afraid to embrace it. It can definitely feel awkward at first but you are worth something. You need to believe it before anyone else will 🙂
This is a great point, Alexa, and I need to give it some serious consideration as I launch my next project. Thanks for stirring the creative juices!
I can’t help but give you a word of caution on creating Amazon listings. When you add your product to inventory on your Seller Central page, if you enter a UPC code for which a listing already exists, you have to use that listing…however crappy it is. You can request changes after adding your inventory to that listing or, consider creating a multipack or bundle and then you can use your own UPC.
I got mine from Nationwide Barcode and I have been happy with their product/service.
When you are able to create your won listing, you can use your copywriting talents and choose the “search terms” that will help customers find your listings.
Now, off to ponder my special skills!
Cheers,
Ree
Ree, how long does it take you to make your own product page ? I’ve tried with products that don’t have a UPC and it took hours … well, it seemed that way … : ) ~ Christie
PS : I have to go find my reading glasses to do the math problem !
I’m sorry about the math problem. lol I hate having it one there. Need to find a better solution but Askimet isn’t stopping all the spam coming my way anymore.
Hi Christie ~
I’m slow at it, too. But I have figured out a few things that may help:
– Before creating the listing in Amazon
* get your images ready,
* write your product description,
* write your “Key Product Features” (the bulleted list you see on all listings) and
* write all the “Search Terms” you can think of (this is the equivalent of SEO on Amazon)
* weigh and measure your package
– When entering the listing, don’t worry about filling in all of the fields. It isn’t necessary. But make sure that what you do fill in is accurate. Jessica Larrew has some good videos on her site that helped me know what fields are most important. Amazon has changed the set up some, but the videos are still good overall.
While creating the listing is the least fun part of being an Amazon seller for me, it is worth it because you will leverage your inventory dollars and net a bigger profit.
Happy selling!
Ree
I’m going to email you soon because I do need some advice on bundling products. and then maybe I can create my own listing. Thanks for the info on that though 🙂
Love this perspective on finding your special niche to succeed. The beauty is, since everyone is unique, everyone has a unique special skill that they can use to monetize. Great post and overall site!