“Companies that offer lots of options are often struggling to differentiate. Differentiation comes from clarity of why not excess of what.”
—Simon Sinek
Here’s a thought, one that might make you raise an eyebrow. When you see a company offering a plethora of options, a smorgasbord of choices, it might not be the success story you think it is. Counterintuitive, isn’t it? But bear with me. More often than not, these businesses are wrestling in the murky depths, grappling to carve out their unique identity, to stand apart in a sea of competition.
Differentiation, the kind that matters, doesn’t come from the excess of ‘what.’ It’s not about serving up every imaginable product or service under the sun. It’s not about being the ‘jack of all trades.’ No, that just confuses customers, dilutes the brand, and can leave a company wandering aimlessly. Instead, real differentiation, the kind that makes a mark and draws in loyal customers, stems from a crystal clear understanding of ‘why.’
Why does your company exist beyond making money? What is the higher purpose that you serve? What problem are you solving, and why does solving it matter? These are the questions businesses should be asking, not “How many more options can we stuff into our portfolio?” Because the truth is, it’s in the ‘why’ that you’ll find your company’s true north, its unique place in the market, its way to stand tall and proud amidst the competition.