Years ago, when someone wanted to start a business, they’d need to give it some thought and save up some money and slowly build up their company with careful investment and scaling. Things have changed dramatically. Thanks to today’s wonderful world of web, people who want to start small businesses can… very easily. They have access to products or services to sell, marketing opportunities that provide exposure around the world, and technical infrastructure to get the job done.

Unfortunately, this has created a different problem: The ease of starting a business means that people don’t need to give much thought before hanging out their proverbial “I’m in business” shingle. And the result? A glut of same-as businesses that don’t look different from each other.

A classic example I’ve noticed is the “social media expert” business. A quick look at Twitter profile information reveals that MANY people call themselves social media experts, even if they have very little real experience. And many more are signing on each day with the same claim. But there are other examples, too: business consultants, ecommerce sites, financial advisors, get-out-of-debt and foreclosure mitigation services… these and many others are all suffering the same problem: they are basically clones of a thousand other businesses.

Folks, if your business is suffering from a lack of clientele, there could be many reasons, but I’m willing to bet that many of those reasons tie back to one key problem: a lack of differentiation. If you’re a social media expert, great. But what is your angle? If you’re a business consultant, great. But what is your angle? If you’re a financial advisor, great. But what is your angle? What makes you different from the hundred thousand others out there claiming to do the same thing?

There are plenty of ways to get your angle – which I’ll talk about in a moment. But once you have it, you’ll unlock the door to a new level of success. That’s because people will come to associate you and your business and your angle all together and this angle, this differentiation, will set you apart.

So, what’s your angle?

If you can make your angle to be something about your product or service, you should do so. For example, if you’re a financial advisor, why not specialize in a certain area. For example, specialize only in tech stocks or specialize only in helping retired people manage their savings. If you’re a foreclosure mitigation service, specialize only in duplexes in the Northeast. If you’re a social media expert, specialize only in Facebook for B2C businesses that sell products (not services) to clients.

You might also make your angle to be something else. As hinted above, you might make your angle related to a geographic limitation. Or, you might make your angle related to something unique about you. Even something as simple as your unusual name could give you the slight differentiation you need to be memorable.

Find your angle and set your business apart! What’s your idea for an angle? Leave it in the comments!

photo credit: ciccioetneo :: Praying for Japan