What Makes You Unique?

One of my favorite authors is Dr. Seuss... There is much wisdom to be found in his quotes, including one of my personal fav's, "

"Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is you-er than you."

from Happy Birthday To You. 

You, by your very nature, are unique from everyone else. Your thoughts, your actions, your beliefs are unique. That in of itself is a gift. You are you and I am me... and we are different and yet in some way, we are still similar. Sometimes I think we forget our gifts - we forget who we are and sometimes we lose our way. 

As a teen, we struggle so hard to fit in and we cast aside those who do not. Looking back to some of the people I went to school with, quite often it was the ones who thought outside the box, the ones we most often overlooked. the ones we called the misfits who are indeed the most successful today. I always admired them. They were unique.. they did their own thing, played their own tune. They were not afraid to be unique and to stand apart from everyone else. 

As we grow older, some of us still have the mentality of a teen where we want to fit in, we want to belong, we're afraid to break out on our own, and we quite often follow what I call herd mentality. We follow the latest trends, we keep up with the Joneses, and sadly we believe what the advertising agencies are selling us. 

In the business world, it has been proven that those with a USP (Unique Selling Point) are the most successful. What is USP? It is what sets you apart from your competition. Perhaps it is a brand name, higher quality, free shipping, lower cost, or the first-ever product of its kind. 

How can you define your USP? Start with YOU. What makes you unique? What is your story? What inspired you to start your business? Are you doing something you truly love and believe in?  What will your business offer to customers/clients that they cannot get somewhere else? Is your product fulfilling a need that currently does not exist? Is your shopping experience different? Perhaps your business supports a local non-profit with a percentage of sales. Maybe you are a single mom who wants to work from home to be able to raise your child at home instead of daycare. 

When working with my clients if they haven't already created their Our Story or About page, I often have them answer some of these questions. 

I turn the mic to you.. I'd love to hear from you... what makes your business unique? How have you shared your message or your story with your customers?