Now it's time for you to find out what product development has to do with bulldogs. I am a big fan of English Bulldogs, and had the pleasure of owning one and learning first hand about their demeanor. As my significant other would say, "Bulldogs have a face only a mother could love". I must be a bulldog mother, because I think they have beautiful faces, but hey, everyone is entitled to their opinion.
The thing I have discovered about bulldogs is they are quite comfortable in their own wrinkled skin. They don't try to be something they're not, they bask in their own glory and are quite good at refining the things they do well, such as snoring, sleeping and scratching. Can you imagine a bulldog trying to diet and exercise so they could look like an Italian Greyhound? As odd as that sounds, that is what so many of us do. With the one- hour facelift that you can charge on your visa card, now anyone can have a perfect face. (Wouldn't it be interesting if wrinkles came back in style in another 50 years?) We work hard to duplicate what others have done, and ignore our unique strengths, quirkiness and subtle flaws. I often wonder if those are the things that we were put on this planet to embrace and exploit. Those things are what make up your competitive advantage.
The first step in creating your products is to think about what makes you unique and sets you apart from the pack. Bring those things to the forefront and integrate them into everything that you do. You will begin to create your own brand organically and naturally, and you might even find that it is a lot easier to be you than you thought.
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