The Business Brickyard

Just read the following intro on a company web site:

Do You Need Fresh Business Solutions?
We Think Globally To Deliver Sustainable Contact With Customers.

Risk Free Solutions for Managing Your Business With Individual Customer Support.

Strong... Right?

Short...hits the key benefits... speaks to the perceived pain of the market, etc...

One problem. This was the text that came along with a web site template from coolhomepages.com. It just had "Insert Company Name Here" at the end.

While up in Portland Maine not too long ago I had dinner at The Flatbread Company. In addition to truly amazing pizza, I noticed a great sign hanging over the bar:

"Flatbread Company is growing. Are more restaurants bad?
Not if we follow our purpose.

Groups in nature have a purpose...
100 apples in a tree
100 geese flying in formation
1000 fish in a school
10,000 bees in a colony

Our purpose is who we are. It gives us direction and makes the many of us one."

We all seek to find powerful ways to differentiate our companies. We search for new ways to market, new strategies and the big new idea that will give power to our claim that our business is truly unique.

We may be missing the most important road block...Working off of a pre-determined "Bucket" of the industry you are in.

My wife is an exceptional school teacher. A few years ago, her 5th grade class wanted to do more than just a bake sale to help the children affected by Hurricane Katrina. Inspired by her reading to them from Kevin Carroll's "Rules of The Red Rubber Ball" they set out to write a book of poems and short stories all about "Hope," its importance and the need to never lose it. Sales of the book were used to raise money for a charity that was helping to rebuild the Gulf Coast.