If you’ve had your business long enough, you’re about to run into a copycat.
Has someone been copying your business? Stealing your captions and then having AI put a new spin on it? Copy-and-pasting your offers onto their own website?
Here’s what to do, why they’ll never win, and the top-secret way to build a brand no one can replicate.
Let’s talk about copycats.
A while back, someone booked a one-time strategy call with me.
Totally normal. I get a lot of these because business owners love being able to get answers to exactly where they are stuck without needing to be in a long-term coaching relationship with a business coach! You can book one of your own here.
Anyway, there was something very unusual about this call though.
I started to prep for the call just like I always do.
But then I pulled up her website…
and my jaw hit the floor.
It was a straight-up copy of mine.
Same layout. Same framework. Same headers. Same offer suite. Same language.
The branding was different though eerily similar. And some of the words were different (she used synonyms – how clever!),
I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt – maybe my mind was playing tricks on me. So I ran her website home page through ChatGPT and then mine just for fun.
The result? There was a 96% chance her site was mimicking mine.
And the wildest part?
She booked the call because she wasn’t making sales.
I meannnn… we’ve gotta give her an A for gutsy, right?
If You’re Copying Someone Else… It Will Not Work
Before I give you some tips around how to work through all the feelings that come from being copied, I want to pause.
Let’s just call it like it is. Juuuust in case someone is reading this who is literally stealing someone else’s content but claiming it was just used as “inspiration.”
You cannot copy-paste your way to long-term business success.
Full stop.
Here’s why: the person you’re copying built what they have through:
- Lived experience
- Education
- Trial and error
- Client feedback
- Core values
- Industry expertise
- Emotional intelligence
- Personal quirks
- Spiritual convictions
- Hours and hours of work
When you try to replicate their stuff without their context…
You’ll end up adding ingredients that don’t belong.
It’s like throwing anchovies into a batch of chocolate chip cookie dough.
Something smells weird.
Something tastes off.
And I swear before God this is true: your audience can tell. You will not be successful in the longterm using this type of gross “strategy” to get ahead.
It’s weird but with all the advances in AI, humans can still tell when something is real and authentic. So if you’re a copycat, stop. It isn’t the way to success for you.
What to Do About Copycats
Now, what do you do if you’re dealing with a copycat?
If you’ve ever been copied, you know:
It’s frustrating.
You built something with sweat and sacrifice…
and they copied it in seconds. Trying to be you.
And yes it’s ok to be ticked about it. I was. This is a natural human reaction.
But you know what can help?
A quick reframe. Celebrate it. Whaaaaa? Listen, if you suck, no one will copy you. So for all those people online claiming to be goddess like and no one has ever copied them, I’m hear to say: it’s because they aren’t very good.
Being copied is a sign that people are watching you – and wanting to be like you.
Alex Hormozi had this hilarious line on a podcast a few months ago: when people copy you, you should be glad because it means you don’t suck.
Is that right and good? Nope. But it should at least let us know people are watching and trying to get what we already have. Trying to be who we already are. That means we’re always staying steps ahead of them anyway.
Sweet one, I am saying this kindly and in love as your business coach: copying/stealing will never stop.
It’s like bullying in schools.Posters and awareness campaigns are great… but bullies don’t care about policies. They aren’t going to stop bullying because of a poster on a wall.
Same with copycats. They won’t stop just because it’s unethical. It’s time to get over it as a law of the universe and just get on with running our businesses.
Every hour you waste fretting and getting upset is an hour of time you could have spent getting even further ahead than them.
So what do you do?
- You keep getting better (they’ll never catch you that way)
- You stay ahead
- You build with blinders on
And here’s the TOP SECRET way to crush copycats long term:
Build an Authentic Personal Brand That Literally No One Can Replicate
When you show up as you…no hiding… being real…
When you serve your people deeply…
When your brand carries your real personality, beliefs, humor, quirks, core values, and preferences…
No one can touch it.
I mean it. When you build a brand that is SO tied to you and your personality, it doesn’t even matter if someone steals your stuff. People aren’t there for them. They’re there for you.
They’ll follow you to the ends of the earth if you build an authentic brand that is heart led, God-centered, and meeting the needs of your people better than anyone else ever has or ever will.
This is how you build a business that cannot be copied.
You may have heard it said: often imitated, never duplicated.
I don’t like that quote. Why? Because, people can duplicate your brand, business, home page, even your offer suite, your content, offers, and captions.
But NO ONE can attract the same lunatic raving fans that you can. No one.
So build a brand that is personal and stands for something.
That’s what draws the right people in – and they won’t be buying from anyone else but you.
Final Word
If you’re tempted to copy someone else?
Pause.
You have your own stories. Your own strengths. Your own brilliance.
Start there. It’s the only thing worth building.
And if you’ve been copied?
Pause.
You have something worth copying. You don’t suck.
Put your head down. Keep going. Serve better. And lap the copycats who are sitting on their couch watching everything you do.
Want Coaching That’s Real, Tactical, and Authentically You?
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Follow along: @walk_like_warriors
Because if you’re building a business from your real self –
I’m cheering for you every step of the way.
