Are you a fake Fendi?

(as published in The Western Weekender, Feb 11 2011, p 26)

If you’re a Sex and the City fan you’ll be familiar with Samantha’s “fake Fendi” purchase. She purchases a fake designer handbag, saying “You'd never know it wasn't real unless you looked at the lining…All that matters is what it looks like”. Later, Carrie declines to buy her own fake Fendi, saying “Even if everyone else thought it was real, I'd always know.”

And there, my fellow women in business, is the key to authenticity.

Finding your business niche is not about copying what other people are doing. It’s not about being something you’re not. And it’s definitely not about being fake. If the image you’re projecting or the words you are using are not really “you”, your business has little chance of prospering.

The best way to attract customers and clients to your business is to be authentic. That means creating a brand that is “you”. It also means listening to your instincts when something doesn’t feel right.

What has worked for me is: Being passionate about what I do. Giving clients the value I would want as a client. Being reliable. These are just some of the values that are part of my authenticity.

Sure, you can get ideas from what others are doing and be inspired by them, but you still need to form your own business values and find your own “voice”. An authentic Fendi is much more valuable than a fake Fendi.

In the words of Steve Jobs (Apple CEO): “Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life…”

Michelle Grice runs Shel Design and is the founder of www.dotcomwomen.com.au

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