Some say that you march to a different drummer. You follow the music you hear in your soul, blazing your own path while the rest of the world can only watch. You’re the best companion you know for yourself. You know who you are, and that’s all that matters. And in ‘The Outsider Advantage: Because You Don’t Need to Fit In to Win” (Portfolio, June 18, 2024), by Ciera Rogers, you’ll see what you can do with your you-niqueness.
It’s the book for readers whose dreams are burning with ideas but not a lot of coin, when the drumbeat of entrepreneurship is just too irresistible and all you have is that “you-niqueness.”
There was a time when Rogers, founder and CEO of Babes, literally lived in her mother’s red Jeep. She was a teenager then. Her mother tried to keep a roof over their heads, but a handful of low-paying jobs just didn’t cut it. They were constantly moving and Rogers switched schools often, which forced her to learn how to fit in quickly, and get by.
That resourcefulness was key to her survival later in life. As the first in her family to attend college, Rogers got a degree but she was unable to take an unpaid internship, which was all that were available a decade or so ago. This hurt her job chances, but she knew she would survive. She was bold and smart.
One afternoon, broke and unemployed, she thought about her mother’s small boutique in Houston, Texas, launched with few resources and even less money. Rogers knew how to thrift. She could make videos. She could sell clothing online, eventually creating one-of-a-kind outfits, mixing and matching, catching the attention of celebrities and moviemakers with a million-dollar business started literally on scraps.
“Remember,” she says, “most big things start with a tiny idea.”
You don’t have to have piles of cash or big inheritances to start a business. Look for free help or free platforms that can move your enterprise along. Make do with what you have, at first. Stop procrastinating and don’t miss any opportunities. Know what you stand for. Know that you are not alone, neither in your uniqueness nor your situation.
“There’s a box where everyone else is,” says Rogers. “Get out of it. Be different.”
So you don’t have any money. You don’t even have bootstraps to pull yourself up. But if you can read, so you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur. You only need to take that first confident step, Rogers advises.
As you begin to read “The Outsider Advantage” you may wonder why it’s touted as a book for entrepreneurs. “The Outsider Advantage” is steeped in inspiration. Indeed, what Rogers offers is more memoir than entrepreneurial advice. There are nuggets on nearly every page and end-of-chapter takeaways embedded in a lively, fun sort of treasure hunt that feels friendly and approachable.
Rogers’ entire life on the edge shows readers that being a little bit—or a whole lot—unique isn’t a hurdle. Unconventionality is not a deal-breaker; in fact, it can help you break into success.
