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Key Takeaways
- Sustainable business growth comes from identifying your unique strengths and building your entire business model around them
- Your quirks and natural abilities aren't obstacles—they're your competitive edge
- Calculate the market value of your strengths using concrete formulas (like salary ÷ 2 + three zeros for hourly rates)
- Successful entrepreneurs combine natural superpowers with cold, hard math
After growing my consulting business at 20% annually for five years, I've learned that success isn't about having every skill—it's about maximizing the unique strengths you already possess. Here are the four superpowers that have become the foundation of my business approach.
Superpower #1: Strategic Empathy
I understand people's business pain because I genuinely listen to what they're not saying. Clients know I'll give them honest feedback even when it's uncomfortable to hear. They trust me because I care more about finding the right solution for them than padding my bottom line.
This strategic empathy isn't just about being nice—it's a business advantage. When clients trust you with their real problems (not just the sanitized version they present in meetings), you can address root causes instead of symptoms. This approach has led to deeper client relationships and consistent referrals that fuel sustainable growth.
The key is pairing empathy with strategic thinking. I plan ahead to mitigate risks and help clients avoid pitfalls they can't see coming.
Superpower #2: The Complete View
Most consultants operate in silos—they understand either business strategy OR technical implementation, but rarely both. My advantage is seeing the full picture: business pain, technical possibilities, and creative alternatives that others miss entirely.
This comprehensive perspective reveals hidden opportunities that specialists often overlook. While they're focused on their narrow expertise, I'm connecting dots across disciplines to find solutions that shouldn't exist but do.
This broader view also enables faster decision-making. When you understand all the moving pieces, you don't need endless meetings to figure out what's possible.
Superpower #3: Pressure Transforms Into Clarity
Most people become cautious under pressure. I become decisive. Through personality testing, I discovered something counterintuitive: stress actually sharpens my decision-making rather than clouding it.
This isn't about being reckless—it's about embracing uncertainty as part of the entrepreneurial process. I don't settle for comfortable. I actively seek opportunities to learn and grow, viewing failure as tuition paid toward expertise.
Quick, informed decisions beat perfect plans that never get implemented. While competitors are scheduling follow-up meetings to discuss next steps, I'm helping clients move forward.
Superpower #4: Information Chaos as Competitive Advantage
My ADHD brain collects random information like a magnet. I might forget my kids' birthdays, but I remember obscure details about industry trends, technical workarounds, and unconventional strategies that become crucial puzzle pieces.
What others dismiss as scattered thinking, I've learned to leverage as pattern recognition. Solutions from completely different industries often solve problems in unexpected ways. A retail marketing tactic might revolutionize a B2B service approach. A manufacturing process might streamline creative workflows.
Instead of fighting against my brain's tendency to wander and collect seemingly useless information, I've made it central to how I serve clients. My mental database of random knowledge frequently contains the exact insight needed to unlock a complex problem.
Why Your Superpowers Matter More Than Your Resume
The real insight here isn't about copying my specific strengths. It's about recognizing that your most valuable business assets might be hiding in plain sight.
Your superpowers aren't always the skills you learned in business school or the competencies listed in job descriptions. They're often the traits you take for granted, the quirks you thought were weaknesses, or the unusual combination of experiences that shaped your perspective.
The entrepreneurs who build sustainable, growing businesses don't try to be everything to everyone. They identify what they do better than anyone else and build their entire business model around those strengths.
My 20% growth rate didn't come from matching every competitor's service offering. It came from doubling down on what makes me uniquely valuable and attracting clients who need exactly those capabilities.
The Mathematical Decision That Changed Everything
These superpowers led me to a pivotal realization: my company would need 6-8 months to replace me. That insight transformed my career decision into a mathematical problem.
Here's how I calculated my leap into consulting:
- Timeline: Make enough money in 6-8 months to support my family for 2 years
- Context: Small town living, newborn baby, recession economy
- Pricing strategy: High enough to hit my financial goals, reasonable enough that the company would keep me that long
I used what my company charged clients for my services as my baseline rate. This gave me real market validation for my pricing.
| HOT TIP: Want to make $90,000 annually? Your hourly rate should be your target salary divided by 2, then add three zeros. So $90K = $45/hour. This accounts for taxes, business expenses, and non-billable time. Know your value and price accordingly. |
The Bigger Lesson
The entrepreneurs who build sustainable businesses don't just rely on passion—they combine their superpowers with cold, hard math. Your natural strengths are valuable, but only if you can quantify that value and price it appropriately.
My 20% growth didn't happen by accident or luck. It happened because I identified what made me uniquely valuable, calculated what that was worth, and built a business model around those specific advantages.
What are your superpowers worth? More importantly, are you charging accordingly?
