“We Must Demonstrate to People that our COMMONALITIES are greater than their Differences”

Small Business owners….the tag line of this blog will tell the story. We as small business owners have for years been stuck on the thought what “Separates” our company from the others. What makes us different from our competitors, what will make us “Stand” out? Being business minded I have thought this way for years structuring my company, my employees, my time, and my knowledge in a way that will make us “Different”.

This is hard for me to swallow! In this world; if each one of us is trying to reinvent the business model, than progress will continually be at a standstill. AT NO point am I stating a business owner should not be innovative, think outside the box, or not be creative. So….your first thought will be, if we are not different, than we are all the same, how will we be competitive. Good question? If we are the same, and we can’t compete on price with the large box stores how will we stay in business.

Yes….the answer is simple and you may blow off the rest of this blog, but take time to absorb it and think about your business. Unless you are in the business of R&D for a cure for cancer, business should not be over complicated. Very straight forward….Provide a product or service that is in demand at the highest quality possible. See, very simple.

Take time to think about it. We’re so caught up in the Wal-Mart mentality that we have forgot about what made our country amazing. We once created top notch products, provided customer service above and beyond, and focused on the fundamentals of our business. Then the period of bottom line or nothing sweeps the world and large box stores buy in bulk, factories move overseas, customer service is thrown out the window, and then our country is labeled fat and lazy. We have become so focused on the bottom line that we have thrown away our opportunity to be “Different” in our commonalities.

If you want to be different, I recommend start by focusing on the fundamentals of your business. Ask the following questions: What does my company offer? Who else provides these items? Who do I DON’T want to be like? Do I as a business owner value my employees? Yes, you must focus on what YOU do in the company. The TONE of your business will start with YOU. If you tell your employees thank you then your employees will be more likely to thank your customers.

We are in the “New” economy where we will be required to revaluate everything…not reinvent everything. Focus on being great at what you do across the board and that will make your company “Different” from the pack.