What is Your One Thing?

Your business has one thing that makes it unique against all other businesses – no other business in the world has this one thing.

Your business has one thing that can make or break its success in the blink of an eye – no other business can get the same results without this one thing.

What is the one thing … You!

You and your business are inseparably linked. Some people liken starting a business to giving birth to a child – except in most cases the business child is a small clone of you.

Your business is a direct reflection of you - mirroring your personal productivity and success. Your personal strengths are where your business is strong and your personal weaknesses are where your business is weak.

Are you a big picture thinker? Then you may find details will slip through the cracks and follow-up and follow-through are not your strong points. Are you great on detail? Then you may get caught up in the rat race of busyness – constantly doing but not growing.

Are you a great networker – constantly giving referrals? Then you may find you give too much and receive too little. Do you prefer to work on your own? Then you may be missing business opportunities that come from strategic alliances.

Are you the ultimate multi-tasker – working on your supermum tag? Then you may be wasting time doing things you are not good at and cutting into precious moments in areas you are passionate about.

You wouldn’t think twice about calling a plumber to help fix a blocked drain, why when we are a business mum do we balk at asking for help with our business? 

By knowing your personal strengths and challenges, you will identify where you need to focus your energies in your business. You will know which pieces of the business you may need to outsource to people such as virtual assistants or copywriters (if you need help with the detail) or business coaches (if you need help with the big picture) or consultants (to help with systems).

By knowing your personal strengths you will also be able to more easily identify your business’s unique selling proposition. In marketing, we help people to identify what is unique about their business and use that in our advertising copy to help sell the business.

But … many businesses struggle with identifying their USP. In writing I prefer to start with identifying the ISP – or individual strong points for the business owner.

When you know your ISP then the USP is easy. For example – if one of your ISPs is big picture thinking - one of your USPs could be that you always think outside the square for your customers. If an ISP is detail – your USP is that every I is dotted and every t crossed in providing a service to your customer.

By focusing inwards for a moment, then focusing outwards on your business comes a whole lot easier.

So, where are you holding your business back?

Stop and reflect for a moment on your business. Which of your weaknesses are affecting your business? If a task is not a strength for you – find another way to do it or get someone else to help you.

Knowing when to ask for help – that is a real strength that will help you succeed faster than going it alone.

Ingrid Cliff is a Brisbane based Business Development and Human Resources Consultant to Small and Medium Businesses with her company Heart Harmony www.heartharmony.com.au.