Make your product special; making it hard to copy. If your company does really well, others might try to copy it. The best way to protect your business is to make your product one-of-a-kind by adding what makes you unique. Take Zappos, for instance. Their CEO Tony Hsieh is super into great customer service. He made it the most important thing for his company. Even though other shoe stores sell the same sneakers as Zappos, they can’t copy this strong dedication to good customer service.

One cool way to find your passion is to make a product or service that you’d love to use yourself. Like when a track coach named Bill Bowerman wanted lighter running shoes for his team, he even used his family’s waffle iron to create the famous Nike waffle sole! Most people buy stuff expecting it to be good but end up disappointed. Your product should be the opposite: so simple and awesome that people love it even more than they thought. They’ll tell their friends about it, too. If you do this right, you can sell your product like a hot new item. Give people a little taste for free, and they’ll want more.

When you have a unique product that keeps customers coming back, you can share what you know without giving away your secret sauce. Just like great chefs write cookbooks with their best recipes, you can share your experiences and knowledge with the world. Even better, you can teach people through how-to guides, courses, and videos! Most companies, especially the big ones, are so hush-hush that you can really stand out by helping people learn about the things you’ve figured out.