There is nothing like a motivational speaker to jump start wavering creativity and innovative pursuits. Sure, we all get pushed down now and again, feeling like we are drifting further and further from our goals. We lose sight of where we’ve been and where we are going. But, like a big-voiced preacher at a revival, Peter Muir stepped in and cranked our spirits with positive outlooks!
We were recently invited to a seminar to discuss a vendor’s digital capabilities and new product offerings. They knew that they had to start with a bang to really drive interest in their products, and they enlisted one of the best guys to do it. Peter Muir, President and Owner of Bizucate, kept everyone alert and interested with his phenomenal story telling capabilities.
With an M.S. from Rochester Institute of Technology and a veteran of the print industry, Peter knows a thing or two about the past, present, and future of our industry. As a business owner, he has also amassed knowledge in how to run a profitable company. Peter focuses heavily on determining the value proposition of a company, or understanding what sets a business apart from other businesses. He recommended a book to us called Zag. Written by Marty Neumeier, Zag addresses the necessity of a company to develop an “onliness” statement. The statement should be structured as so: “Our brand is the only _________ that ________.” Ultimately, Neumeier advises a company to really rethink its business if they can’t determine what makes its brand different from the competition.
Now, this is information that hasn’t already been gulped down and regurgitated by every entrepreneur and business owner. Yet we tend to view the marketplace as so cluttered that there is no way we can’t attain the “onliness” factor. Peter Muir, however, has done his research and realizes the potential for companies to find “onliness.” Enter the Inc. 5000 list, a compilation by Inc. magazine of the fastest growing companies in the US. Browse this list and you will see companies on that list who are in businesses offering solutions and products that we’ve seen for years. So what are they doing so differently that made them explode with sales?
“Onliness.” They have found something that sets them apart from the competition. They listened to what people need and want, and crafted their business around these voiced desires. We know you probably understand this, but sometimes it’s nice to get a gentle nudge in the gut to take a look at your business and see where it stands amongst all the others. (If we didn’t nudge you, maybe Peter Muir will!)
