What are You Doing to Distinguish your Business?

Canada is an area where small and medium-sized enterprises are plentiful. In that they are found almost on every street, every community, and every sector or segment of the economy. According to 2023 data from the federal government, Canada was home to 1.22 million small and medium-sized enterprises which are defined as firms with between 1 and 499 paid employees. This description excludes self-employed individuals who do not have other workers on the payroll.

Within the overall small and medium-sized enterprises category, businesses with fewer than 100 paid employees are commonly categorized as “small” while mid-sized companies are described as those with between 100 and 499 employees. In 2023, 97.8 per cent of all registered businesses in Canada were considered small and another 1.9 per cent fell into the medium-sized grouping. In the same year, only 0.3 per cent of entire business life of the Canadian enterprises were deemed to be “large” based on having 500 or more employees.

This made me think about what are all of these small and medium-sized enterprises doing to distinguish themselves. I state that because if you are not distinguishing yourself, you will be lost in the big picture. To distinguish yourself or your business requires the following; defining a unique value proposition and, niche specialization, or a unique story. This requires that you consistently communicate it across all marketing channels.

In our work we have helped small business owners see the errors in their ways and use their new thinking to grow their business by leaps and bounds due to this change of attitude, Consider the following comments;

• I found Tim’s presentation to be a gold mine of solid ideas for improving one’s personal and professional self. The presentation was very engaging and gave me an opportunity to reflect on my own habits. Make sure you take lots of notes!” – Justin Byers, Ontario
• “Just a quick note to tell you how much I appreciated your presentation called ‘The Resilience Factor – How to Boost Your Business in This Economy’. I made lots of notes. I have been applying more of the tips each and every day. I also look at things a lot differently and I am now living ‘above the line’.” – Julie Armstrong, Ontario
• Tim, you are a positive, energetic person with some thought provoking ideas. You suggested some new and innovative ideas that we probably would have never thought of on our own.” – Perry Giles Texas, U.S.A.

Are you truly doing any of this?

What business activity that is outdated, should you stop doing?

What attitude may stand in the way of you improving your business profile?

What is one thing that you can do today that would improve the perception of your business?