The whole “build it and they will come” cliché is often touted as a sort of naivety red flag — like, if you really believe that simply making something awesome will create natural attraction to your brand, you’re insane. Of course, there’s a lot of truth to understanding how incredibly hard it is to really compete in the digital world… where anyone can buy anything at any time.

But I also think there’s an unspoken courage that many people simply don’t have for one reason: They don’t REALLY believe in what they have to offer. When you’re waffling about with features, unsure about how to appease just the right group (or not anger anyone), you’re giving up your power — the confidence that creates attraction comes from making things that YOU think are great and worth paying attention to.

Maybe it’s not super direct (thus the cliché), but simply creating things you’re proud of imbues you with a certain confidence that people can feel, sometimes even through a screen. Talking about something you truly value or cherish changes everything. So focus on making those things a reality, instead of trying to conjure some kind of artificial confidence about things you’re meh about!

Market and do all the correct things — but only if it’s for something that you’re actually stoked about. Otherwise, you’ve already lost to those who are.