Written by Davin Broadbent

Does your business stand out from the crowd? Or do you find yourself telling people at dinner party’s things like “I’m in retail” or “I own a cafe” or “I work for myself”…

The hardest part of running your own business is not the long hours or the irregular cash flow; it’s convincing yourself that what you do is special. The problem is, if you don’t believe it, neither will your customers.

You need to find your USP (unique selling point) and identify a point of difference that is yours alone; otherwise you run the very real risk of becoming yet another statistic.

Your USP can be anything that you do or offer that stands out from your competitors. Some businesses make price their USP, some choose a product others try to find or create a niche. Some businesses even make their brand their USP (see “Lord of the Fries”). Whatever you do, it should be the focus of your marketing and business strategy, you should strive to be different and remain committed to standing out from the crowd or risk leaving your success in the hands of others.