What chance do you have, if you are just starting a business on your own, of taking on the already established and well positioned businesses that are better organised and structured, with more resources and options, better people (currently, you have no one working for you) and where they are already working toward a defined vision and chasing strategic outcomes?

Well, perhaps you were led to believe that getting what you want in business and life can be effortless and does not require significant effort from your side. But perhaps you have already realised that is an old lie! Success doesn’t come easy. There is a lot of “noise” around us, and no one simply “knows” which path to follow. Many factors, among them hard work and consistent effort, have to be engaged with first. Pieces of the puzzle must click into place, and it is always your responsibility to make it happen. You are the creator. You have the power.

Are you often questioning your potential? It’s not you; it’s your approach

Asking better questions will lead to finding better outcomes

What I have learned is that small but critical things determine the path you will need to take and the outcome. What matters is usually a focused approach to critical success factors that increase your likelihood of success, improve your position, and bring you closer to your desired outcomes. This is called “positioning to win by stacking the odds in your favour for maximum long-term benefits.” Favourable outcomes arise from your actions and from everything you already have and know.

“Limitation is a self-imposed construct. Embrace the abundance of possibilities, and witness your business soar beyond imagined limits.

So first of all, let’s discuss the hardships, roadblocks, obstacles, and issues you will most certainly need to face and what your best options are in dealing with them in an effective way:

The “big boys” in any industry you may want to enter will probably have some form of competitive advantage over you. They know things you don’t. They have had experiences that you can’t match. They are better positioned and have stronger and more advanced processes, larger databases, more diversified human capital, and easier access to external knowledge and know-how. In addition, they will probably have more financial backing and easier access to funding.

They will expect you to play the game they invented based on their rules and on their playing fields…

What you are up against is the perception of quality, as well as the “already-known and experienced” factors and their “position of authority” in their field. Larger competitors have more products, offers, marketing, and sales systems, as well as repeat businesses from their pool of clients and customers. Their financial systems and practices are well-controlled and managed, and their long-term strategies are planned and known.

So, reasonably, what are your chances of competing on such unequal grounds?

Do you think it is worthwhile to go against them head-on, or do you believe there are other ways in which you can make your name, business, and offerings known?

I know it sounds redundant, but in order to compete successfully and to win, you must stand out from the crowd. You must find a way to present your products and services as somehow different, better, and more desirable. By doing so, you will most likely upset some people, and you must guard against backfires by structuring the business so as to deal with them. The good thing is that, up until the time that you make a real impact, no one cares. To put it simply, you are off their radar. Too small and insignificant to disturb the way they operate, they are unaware that you are preparing to create a sudden impact; you are monitoring, evaluating, and performing a competitive analysis about them, and they are not yet even aware of you.

If you are starting a business on your own, there must be a point of difference that defines your offering and possible niche. Differentiation is everything in the earliest phase of your new venture. You must prove your point in various ways and be in a position to leverage your strengths. And you must make people believe in you and follow you…

In other words, you must play your own game. You need to invent your own game and your own rules of play.

One thing that the “big boys” may find it hard to achieve is the level of flexibility that smaller competitors have. SMEs have a wider spectrum of strategies and tactics to choose from. The ability to move quickly and to test on a smaller scale is probably the greatest weapon an SME may have.

You don’t need approvals, you don’t need agreements, and you don’t need to please committees. You are on your own, and what you make out of it is yours to keep.

“The true spirit of innovation lies not in replicating success, but in fearlessly forging fresh paths others are yet to envision.”

Being different and flexible can lead to innovation and marketing that disrupt the status quo. Your point of difference in your marketing and communications may provide you with the momentum and initial spark you need. You absolutely must win fast—the earlier the better—and at least on a small scale before the real results become visible, and you must keep the ball rolling all the time. You must not stop when these early wins come your way; that is critical. You must understand that “levelling the field of play” is a process, and you must plan to close this loop. Smarter, faster, and unpredictable, you can be surprisingly effective and cheaper.

Documentation as Weapon

Document everything, even those poor results, that you are not proud of showing to anyone. They are the sources of your greatest learning and breakthroughs. Evaluate your findings and establish your own “critical few” that must happen and that determine your fate. Align everything you have to get you closer to your ultimate objective; everything that is strength must work for you tirelessly, constantly, and from the same position (be on the same page).

Strategic Focus

Identify and relentlessly exploit that one critical strength of yours. Become the undisputed master in that one narrow field. This creates buzz and establishes authority where there was previously none.

Starting a business with an idea that is transformational and, to a certain degree, radical could be risky and potentially resource-consuming. You see, in the beginning, you are on your own; you do it alone, and you do it as fast as your awareness and logic allow. You are in unfamiliar territory, and you will face the choice of swimming with the flow or going against it. Your choice is to go with proven tactics and strategies or to communicate your point of difference by disrupting the established norms and standards. You have nothing to lose because nothing yet exists that is worth protecting. You need to prove your point… Calculate your risks and don’t be fearful. What is the worst thing that can happen, really?