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Why put so much effort, time, and money into building a business if you're going to be like everyone else and just operate an average business?
If you're going to go through all that trouble, why not create a highly successful business?
The gap between an average business and a highly successful business is not huge.
If you watch horse racing, the difference between the first horse and the second horse is a matter of seconds but the difference in rewards is huge!
Going from average to great can be as little as one step up. All the foundational work is basically the same. If you compare two similar businesses, you'll notice they both have all the same basic components, but one probably does something a little better or a little differently and gains that extra market share.
Let me tell you a story about two website design companies. Company A has high-quality design. They create e-commerce, flash, php websites, etc.
They have the latest equipment, high-tech software, and competitive prices, and they offer hosting and free updates for one year.
Company B is very similar to Company A, except they offer original content for their clients' sites and guaranteed search engine positioning and traffic.
Company B doesn't even write the content or perform the search engine positioning, they outsource that work. Company B has gained a large share of the market because clients can just tell them what they want, forget about it for a few weeks, and then traffic will start coming to their site.
You see, even my 11-year-old daughter can build a website, but you need people coming to that site, people who are able to find the site and are interested in what you have to offer. Company B doesn't physically do much more than Company A, but they're perceived as the ultimate solution for a getting a successful website developed.
Creating a business that possesses an original idea, product, or service that appeals to your customer can be the difference between running a business just like everyone else and becoming a highly successful leader in your industry! If you're going to be in business, do it right! Do the best you can!
Here are three techniques to help you find that unique idea.
1. Find the missing link
All things can be improved. Look for what can be done to improve your industry. Try this exercise:
a. List all businesses similar to yours.
b. List all the issues these businesses have in common.
c. From your list, see if you can identify something that's missing from the industry as a whole. You can also ask questions like:
Where is there room for improvement here?
What's missing in all of these businesses?
What would make these businesses really great?
2. Ask the right questions and wait for the answer
Asking questions is a great way to get the creative juices flowing. You have a built-in mechanism to answer questions, you just have to sometimes let the answers come to you.
Ask questions like:
What can you do that's special?
Why should people do business with you?
What's unique about your business?
What's the most significant idea you can execute to make your business stand out and be a leader?
3. Look at other businesses that are not related to your industry
Sometimes a great idea can be found outside your industry. Study some highly successful businesses, and you may find an idea that will work for your business. Sometimes stepping back will give you an idea.
When you're doing some research and you find a really great idea, ask yourself, "How can I transfer this to my business?"
Remember, all great businesses and all great leaders started with an idea. Ideas and the implementation of them are how all great businesses started.
You may also want to use the brainstorming exercise to help get the ideas flowing.
That's the way I see it.
Acey Gaspard
A Touch of Business.com
Action Steps to Making Your Business Original
- Make a list of similar businesses in your industry and evaluate their common traits and then think of what else you can do or provide to make your business better than all the rest.
- Sometimes, instead of looking at others, you need to look at yourself. Evaluate your business - its operations and how YOU conduct business - and find out what needs improvement.
- Step completely out of the box. Look at highly successful businesses that are not in the same industry as yours and see what great idea you can introduce into your business.
Important Points to Making Your Business Original
- Think about what you can do to improve your business.
- How are other companies in the same industry doing? Find out if there's something nobody is providing yet.
- How are successful firms in other industries doing? See if you can get any ideas that you can incorporate into your business.
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