Do you stand out from the flock?

Have you ever noticed that small business owners behave a bit like sheep? They flock together, going to the same networks with the same people. They have a look to see how other business owners are promoting themselves, and then do something very similar.

It’s not so surprising. There’s a certain amount of comfort to be taken from knowing that they’re not being left behind.

The crazy – sheep-like - part is that the flocking is done without first finding out if what they’re about to copy actually works!

When I first became a business coach I spent ages looking at the websites of other business coaches and planning my own site to be very similar. Now, I’m more discerning! I only look at the sites of very successful coaches and business owners. They’re the people I want to model.

With more and more small businesses starting up, the need to stand out from the crowd is becoming increasingly critical to success.

Instead of trying to be part of the flock, business owners need to work out how they can be different to catch the client’s attention. It can be an uncomfortable process but the rewards will make it all worthwhile.