Build your cult, not your features

Ever had one of those moments where you realize you’ve been knocking yourself out trying to “beat the competition” — only to notice the real winners never play that game at all?

I learned this the hard way back in my GUVI days.

We had a killer team, the kind that could hustle through walls. But we’d obsess over what our competitors were launching, copy features, spend long nights drafting “killer” campaigns, then cross our fingers and hope people noticed.

All that effort just made us blend in. We were fighting to win the same race as everyone else. It was exhausting — and the only folks getting ahead were the ones running a totally different race.

Which, oddly enough, brings me to Apple.

Look, every smartphone brand out there is busting its ass to “win” the crowded smartphone market. More megapixels! Faster chips! Cheaper deals!

Apple? They don’t care.

They quietly built their own world: the iPhone market.

You’ve heard it a thousand times — “This is the best iPhone we’ve ever created.” Hell, it almost sounds like they’re competing with themselves.

And guess what? Customers line up for hours, not just for a phone, but for what being “an iPhone user” means.

When Apple dropped “Apple Intelligence,” they didn’t just slap “AI” on as the next big thing. Even though it’s awful, they made sure that even if everyone gets sick of artificial intelligence next year, their users will still stick around. Why? Because it’s not just “AI”— it’s Apple’s way, woven seamlessly into their world. If the AI hype train crashes, they’ll just quietly pivot, and people will still want the next “best iPhone ever.”

So, here’s my punchline — and it applies to your business, your copy, whatever you’re selling:

No one remembers the “second-best Android.” No one gives a damn about “almost as good as ChatGPT.” Build your own game. Define your market so only you can win.

When you hear every expert saying, “Follow the trend, launch this feature, match competitor X,” pause. Ask yourself: is this helping me build Apple’s kind of cult, or am I just getting lost in the noise?

The money, the fans, the sanity — it’s all in the market you own, not the market you chase.

Here’s what I want you to do this week: Find one place where you’re fighting to outdo a competitor. Drop it. Choose instead to obsess over what makes your thing different. Double down on THAT.

Write a single-line promise for your business or brand. Not “we’re just as good as…” but a bold line in the sand.

You’ll know you’ve nailed it if it makes you a little nervous to say out loud.

Give it a week. Watch what happens.

If you want help (or want to call bullshit on this), just hit reply and tell me where you’re stuck. I’ve been in the mud before — happy to talk real tactics.

Keep building your world.

— Shashank