The goal of competing is to win. That’s what you should aim for as an Entrepreneur, to win.

Business is looking boxing – you are always looking for an opening to whack your opponent. But unlike boxing, competition in business is good. Your rivals force you to be innovative and to mold new ideas that are ahead of the curve.

Here are some creative ways you can think out of the box to beat competition

1. Perform constant market research

That goes without saying, all gurus repeat this mantra – Albert Szent, a Hungarian pharmacologist is quoted saying, “Research is seeing what everybody else has seen and thinking what nobody else has thought.”

That should be your approach to research. You should develop the skill to always think outside the box and to discover market niches nobody else has discovered.

Open your eyes and your mind, – look for ways to find solutions in obvious problems.

2. Adopt to evolving needs

You should adapt to current trends. By adapting to learn, your level of curiosity increases, you become more intelligent to perceive patterns and recognize opportunities in a dynamic world

A famous Chinese saying captures this ethos, “The wise adapt themselves to circumstances, as water molds itself to the pitcher.”

Or have you ever heard the phrase “Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change?” That’s what am talking about.

When you can constantly identify changing market trends you will ignite the fire to think and to come up with out of the box business ideas.

3. Invent a new product or service

Marriane Cantwell, founder of Free Range Humans is quoted saying, “Don’t believe the myth that an idea isn’t a good one because there is competition,”

Competition is healthy. It gives your ideas ‘nutritional value’, the kind of value that will stand out amongst your rivals.

To stay Untouchable and unimpeachable you need competition, healthy competition forces you to create constantly. The new products and services you create will propel your business into the future.

4. Examine your own skillset for business ideas

Oftentimes, your talent determines what you can do. Do you have a talent or proven track record that could become the basis of a profitable business?

There is this girl who loved sketching caricatures of her professors, yet she was in a statistics class, perceived boring. She piqued her drawing talent during afternoon statistics lectures when everybody was bored stiff by the professor’s droning voice.

She found solace in drawing the professor’s interesting facial features Ninety percent of her note books instead of having statics and numbers were filled with faces. Today that talent has made her famous and rich, she owns an art gallery, besides mentoring upcoming artists.

What is your talent? Exploit it. You never know, it may turn out as a business opportunity.

5. Save people money

If you can figure out how to save people money, you’ll have a good business idea, new or not. People tend to purchase cheaper and affordable products and services.

6. Meditate

An Eastern philosophical teaching states something like, “When meditation is mastered, the mind is unwavering like the flame of a candle in a windless place,”

The scriptures in Isaiah 26:3 say, “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”

That peace comes from quieting your mind, stepping back and allowing the creator to speak. Clear your mind from any kind of stress and listen to hear God. He is the author of all ideas.

When you meditate, God gives you ideas that nobody else has thought of,- good business ideas that will outwit your competitors.

7. Encouraging differentiation

Conformity is the killer of creativity, be different. Let your uniqueness shine through your ideas.

Buyers demand the best products and services to suit their desires. Differentiate your offerings from those of your competitors to create tremendous value for the consumers you serve and to meet this demand.

8. Develop self-awareness

Rivals force you to assess your strengths and weaknesses.

“In most cases, strengths and weaknesses are two sides of the same coin. A strength in one situation is a weakness in another, yet often the person can’t switch gears. It’s a very subtle thing to talk about strengths and weaknesses because almost always they’re the same thing.” Said Steve Jobs.

Build on your strengths and find a way around your weaknesses to create a more unique value proposition for your customers.

Cultivate a deep understanding of your shortcomings and find ways to overcome them. You will be surprised at the excellence you will achieve.

9. Avoid complacency

Andy Grove is quoted saying, “Success breeds complacency. Complacency breeds failure. Only the paranoid survive.”

At some point, when you are at the pinnacle of success, you may be tempted to feel like you have accomplished enough. You are at the top, so you choose to relax. That will be your undoing.

Never let your guard down, never give your competitors an edge, never cede an inch of ground. Think of Coca Cola and their constant remodeled Ads. Make it a habit to be innovative even when you feel you no longer need to.

In conclusion – Stay alert, stay focused, stay in the game for the long haul, recreating and recreating, that’s how you survive as an Entrepreneur.