You know that feeling. You're an expert in your field. You've got the experience, the knowledge, the track record. But you look around and see others with less experience, less expertise, getting all the opportunities. It's frustrating. The truth is, it's not always about being the absolute best at one thing. It's about building a 'category of one' for yourself.
Find Your Edge
It's a concept I've explored a lot, and it really hit home when my guest, Spencer Coursen, shared something profound. He said, "I have found that the two ways to the two most effective ways to be successful is to either be in the top 1% of one thing or to find three things where you can be in the top 25%." Think about it. Very few of us will be a LeBron James or a Michael Jordan in a single field. But you can combine unique abilities to create an entirely new space where you're unmatched.
I saw this with a client whose dream was an executive marketing job. She was good at marketing, but that's a crowded field. Then we uncovered her unique combination: she was from Canada, spoke French, loved sports, and had a gaming YouTube channel. Individually, those might seem irrelevant to marketing. But when we framed her personal brand around being an expert in Canadian culture, French-speaking markets, video games, and sports, EA Sports hired her as an expert to bring American sports games to the Canadian market. That's a category of one. That Venn diagram is very small, as Spencer pointed out. You might think your different passions don't relate, but they do. They're together for a purpose, and that's when you become a category of one. It's like finding your career cheat codes and using them.
Be Seen
Here's the thing: having all the expertise in the world doesn't matter if no one knows about it. You can have the most brilliant work hidden in your Google Drive or tucked away in your computer folders, but it won't magically be discovered. I always tell my clients, if your work isn't online, it doesn't exist. Austin Kleon has a great quote for this: "If your work is not online, it does not exist." This is becoming more and more true every single day. People aren't going to hire the most talented graphic designer; they're going to hire the one who's most visible, the easiest to find.
Many experts are waiting for opportunity to knock, but you have to go out and create it. You have to be visible. Because if you're not out there, sharing your expertise, talking about what you know, then you're essentially invisible to the very opportunities you want to attract.
Show Up
So, you've found your unique edge and you're ready to be seen. The next step is simple, but not easy: consistency. This is where most people fall short. Spencer shared his own experience with this, saying, "I went from, I think, like 2,500 followers to like 20,000 followers in like 6 months just posting one story and one reel every day." Every day. That's the power of consistency. It's not about being perfect from day one. It's about getting those reps in while no one's watching.
It's going to suck at first. It will. But that's how you learn, how you find your voice, and how you build momentum. The bar is low for consistency. You want to know how to rank in the top 4% of all podcasts ever? Do more than seven episodes. If you post once a week on LinkedIn for a year, you're in the top 1% of all users. Pick one platform, make a commitment to post every day for a year, and I promise you, your life will look completely different 365 days from now. It's about those small habits, big changes.
Building a category of one isn't about being a unicorn in every single thing you do. It's about strategically combining your unique strengths to create an undeniable presence in your niche. Then, you have to show up, consistently, even when it feels like no one is watching. Because the truth is, the world needs your expertise, and it's waiting for you to make it visible.
Don't let your valuable insights stay hidden. The opportunities are out there for those who are willing to define their unique space, be seen, and show up every single day. It's time to stop waiting and start creating the visibility you deserve.
Ready to build your category of one? Start posting today.