A few weeks ago I wrote about catalysts: the sparks that drive peaks in demand for the products and services you offer with your small business.

In that post I mention that those “sparks” are the beginning of a story; a story that involves your customers or clients as the main character – and you as the helpful guide along the way.

In that analogy, I point out that if you’re the helpful guide for the main character to resolve some problem or fulfill a desire, differentiation would help set you apart from others helpful guides – making you the best, or most comfortable choice.

Differentiation isn’t a new topic here, but the next few blog posts I wanted to take a closer look at the different layers of your small business that you can apply or advance your differentiation.

Going along with the post mentioned above about the customer story, looking at your own story can be one of the first layers of differentiation for your small business.

Your Story Makes You Unique

Just like a catalyst in the story above, the reason or “why” you started your small business can often be the first step in differentiation.

That “why” catalyst sparked the move to start branch out on your own or jump into a new industry.

Regardless of what that catalyst may be, the story of your small business ultimately started with that reason – it’s the beginning of the journey, essentially.

The rest of the story – from overcoming different obstacles, or finding your own helpful guide (or Sidekick) to ultimately reaching your goals – is something that can differentiate your small business from others with the same alignment.

Your Story Can Be The Early Reason Folks Choose Your Small Business

Your story – especially in the early stages of running your business – can often be the primary reason folks will choose your small business.

Smaller businesses often can benefit from being much closer to their customers and clients, so allowing them to hear your story creates a nice early bond with their core audience.

You don’t need to write an entire book here (though that’s certainly an option), but a few key chapters behind your startup/small business can go along way towards differentiating yourself.

Your Story Can Help Guide Other Areas Of Differentiation

One reason to start with your story is that it can often guide other areas of differentiation in different layers of your small business (that I’ll touch on in the coming weeks).

That story can help you develop better services or products, create a unique look and voice and help you create content that matches that look and voice that you can distribute to your audience.

Aligning these areas together – starting with your story – can be a great way to build a cohesive plan across all of your key business areas – and ultimately set you further apart than others that may be competing in the same space.