Are you scared to be unique?

On Friday, I took my son to the cinema to watch Zootropolis, it’s Disney’s latest offering with incredible animation. The moral of the story is to fight for your dreams and try everything, even if you could fail.  My son is 6 and like many children he is fearless, he makes his teachers nervous with how he flings, jumps and zooms around the place, his energy knows no bounds.  As we get older we see the world differently – something that we did not fear we now approach with tentative steps.  Fear to fight and fear of failure are debilitating things, they can prevent us from becoming who we’re meant to be and achieving greatness.

Starting a business some would say is about facing fears and complete madness.  I know that I was told by several people before starting Citrus Content that I would fail, as my parents would say, I am full of gumption so there was no way I was going to let that happen without a fight!  But after the dust has settled we can get comfortable in the skin of the business we have created, we work hard to drive it forward but we can stop being the fearless child and start being the tentative adult.  You can spot those entrepreneurs who continue to be the child, Richard Branson is the prime example, he is forever challenging, creating new business and pushing himself to the extreme.  To those around him, his lack of fear could be too scary to accept, therefore, he finds a team who are like-minded, ignores his critics and sees each failure as a lesson.

Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly. – Robert F. Kennedy

Branson has the ability to make his companies stand out, they have a clear brand message and we understand Virgin’s values.  But is this because he has been the face of the company, and that he has expressed through words and actions what he and Virgin stand for? Of course! As consumers, we connect more to a company when we have been given the opportunity to get to know it on a personal level.  Look at Apple, they could have launched new products via a press release, but instead they put on a ‘show’, listening to Steve Job’s passion about a product captivated the audience in the theatre and online.  Do these brand leaders like pushing themselves out there, I have heard many that don’t, to them it’s a performance they need to endure for the great good of their business – they are facing their fears.

Why are fear and uniqueness linked?

In school, that last thing we want to do is be different, the fear of bullying and humiliation keeps many of us from being who we truly feel we are.  This can be equally true in the business world. A couple of years ago a friend of mine launched the first Eco Estate Agency, although many wished her well, she was met with a large amount of negativity.

Are you scared to be unique?

I am always looking at estate agency websites and forever find it hard to see why they are different than their competitors.  When questioned, I often receive the same message – so if I am hearing the exact same ‘unique’ message are they really differentiating themselves as an estate agent?  Yes, you should be looking at your product/service but the biggest differentiator that you seem to forget is that what makes your estate agency unique is …..

YOU!!

Would Virgin be Virgin without Richard Branson?  It might be a successful business but would it be the iconic brand it is today?

So if YOU make your business unique, and YOU have the power to connect and captivate your audience, why aren’t you doing it?

People do business with people, yet does your website show who you are, are you sharing your personal stories and photographs and giving your audience an insight into who you are as a person? It could be as simple as having an About us and Team page.

Are you scared to be seen?

I hate having my photograph taken, but last year I went to a business event in New York with a branding photographer friend of mine and decided to face my fear of being seen and invest in some photographs for which was to be, our new website.  I know I’m not alone, I often speak to business owners who feel the same, we want people to know who we are but don’t like people to ‘see’ who we are.  Again we are scared to ‘fail’.

Be Unique

My quest to you is to shout about your uniqueness through words and imagery, show your personality, share your experiences and allow your audience to get to know YOU.  My favourite quote in our office is; “I’m not weird, I’m limited edition.”  I know every estate agency is limited edition, so why not let everyone else see it too!

You May Also Enjoy

small house bird box
Breaking News

UK First Time Buyers better off than many other global nations

Is it really that bad being a first-time buyer? UK better off than many other global nations when it comes to affordability The latest market analysis from Yopa, the full-service estate agents, reveals that first-time buyers (FTBs) in the UK may be paying 63% more to get a foot on the property ladder than they…
Read More
new build homes colchester essex
Breaking News

Building Safety Regulator Reform

The Government has announced reforms to the Building Safety Regulator, including leadership, process and investment. The changes are hoped to deliver 1.5 million homes. The reforms pave the way for creation of a single construction safety regulator, as recommended by the Grenfell Tower enquiry. David Smith, property litigation partner at London law firm Spector Constant…
Read More
Breaking News

New anti-money laundering rules now in effect: what landlords need to know

New anti-money laundering (AML) rules came into effect this month, marking a significant change for landlords and the lettings industry as a whole. The new rules mean financial sanctions checks are now required for all lettings, regardless of how much rent is charged. Here, Steve Bond, managing director of residential lettings for Beresfords, explains what…
Read More
Breaking News

What landlords need to know about the upcoming Renters Rights Bill

The government’s long-awaited Renters Rights Bill is one of the most significant overhauls of the private rental sector in decades. While it has not yet received royal assent, the legislation is expected to come into effect late this year, or early in 2026. With the bill moving closer to becoming law, Steven Bond, managing director…
Read More
Breaking News

Mortgage approvals bounce back in May

The latest figures show that: – Mortgage approvals on house purchases for May sat at 63,032 up 3.9% from 60,656 in April. The monthly increase seen in May marks the end of four months of previous decline, with approval levels having fallen each month since January of this year. Approvals are also 2.5% higher than…
Read More
Breaking News

Money and Credit – May 2025

Key points: Net borrowing of mortgage debt by individuals increased by £2.8 billion to £2.1 billion in May, following a large decrease in net borrowing of £13.8 billion to -£0.8 billion in April. Net mortgage approvals for house purchases increased by 2,400 to 63,000 in May. Approvals for remortgaging also increased by 6,200 to 41,500…
Read More