I have written previously about my thoughts on copy cats. My general consensus has been that as long as ideas that are ‘borrowed’  are tailored to the individual business that imitation should be considered a form of flattery. BUT, there are limits to what one business may ‘borrow’ (and I use that term lightly) from another. For instance, I have noticed in the past that my ideas and work seem (I stress the word seem) to have been mildly copied by at least one of my competitors. I’m flattered, really. After all, I’m worth copying :) Recently, however, I noticed a blatant, outright stealing of some elements of my branding. I cannot express how furious I am over this. This is wrong on so many levels; ethically, morally, any way you look at it this is wrong.  I have poured my blood, sweat and tears into branding my company in the nearly six years I have been in business.  All of my branding, advertising etc. is a result of my own work or I have paid someone to help me design something uniquely mine. To have someone take what’s mine and make it their own makes me want to give their head a shake.

So, what can I do about it? Essentially, nothing. But you can bet I’ll be on my toes and trying to stay one step ahead. What I won’t do reduce myself to waging a war.  My business and my staff have a very strict set of core values which we adhere to on a daily basis. You can read about our core values here. It is no coincidence that the first one on the list is integrity. The definition of integrity is: doing the right thing at the right time even when no one is looking. I don’t just say this, I live it. If I didn’t I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.  Hopefully, our clients (and any future clients) can see this, as well as the value of the service we provide.

Well, I can’t do anything about it so I might as well be flattered. They can imitate me, but they can never be me. And to all the copy cats out there: You can copy all you want; but you will always be one step behind.