I have three kids, primarily, because me and my lovely wife can't count. The third of the brood is a three year old little boy. Lane has red hair, asks approximately 19 questions per minute, and breaks everything. He is different. And since the other two are little girls, he is definitely a good different. Well, not the breaking everything part, but you get the point.

To succeed in today's small business environment, you need a niche and you need to create a following.

DO: Be different. Not tinfoil hat different. Legitimately different. Customers want authenticity and a reason to like you.

DON'T: Be the same as everyone else and then boast about years of experience and certifications. You just sound like Charlie Brown's teacher at some point.

DO: Have great customer service. Be willing to follow up with your customers after their purchase and give them a reason to brag about you.

DON'T: Have arbitrary policies that do not make sense for the customer, i.e. Frigidaire took over a week to make a minor repair to our brand new fridge. That's their policy. They told me that many, many, many times.

DO: Charge a premium for your product or service, if it warrants it. People will pay for perceived value, even in a market downturn.

DON'T: Try to compete on price. You may not have the same overhead as a big box competitor, but you don't have the buying power either. Also, the perception of low price is low value.

Niche examples:

A Financial Advisor that is really a Financial Coach that goes out of his way to educate his clients.
A CPA and Business Coach that focuses primarily on the Crossfit community.

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you have three kids?

2. Well, why not?!

3. What is your niche?