A friend of mine who lives in a small rural city (population 6,600) recently told me that one of the members of her city council had proposed that the city should send a letter of support regarding the current situation in the Middle East.

My friend and I both had the same reaction: The job of the city council of this little city is to run that city, not to get involved with foreign affairs. Running the city is “their lane,” and they should stay in it.

Are you staying in your lane?

Most of the small business owners I know are not trying to be “all things to all people.” Instead, they focus on a particular specialty, service, market segment, etc., and ensure that all of their offerings are designed to serve the needs of the people or businesses in that particular niche. They stay in their lane.

For example, I offer writing and editing services. This is my area of expertise, so this is my focus. Although most of my clients also have an accountant, I do not attempt to offer accounting services under the Plumtree umbrella!

The benefits of staying focused

Your business is likely to be more successful if you stay in your lane and remain focused on your market niche, too. By doing so you can…

• Build a strong reputation in your niche – Become the “go to” provider for what you do.
  

• Gain extensive experience in your niche – Not only is this important from the “expertise” standpoint, it is also significant from the marketing standpoint. By remaining focused you’ll be able to learn the best ways to market your business to that particular target audience.
  

• Do the type of work that you enjoy most – This is most relevant if you are a solopreneur like I am. Even if you are capable of offering a full array of related services, why offer to do things that you don’t enjoy?
  

• Have less competition – By meeting a unique customer need you’ll usually find that there are fewer companies that do exactly what you do for that particular target audience. Less competition means more opportunities for you.
  

• Be more productive – Staying focused makes it easier to develop effective systems and processes.
  

• Better understand your customers’ needs – Focusing on a particular market niche makes it easier to gain a deep understanding of your ideal customers’ unique needs, preferences and behaviors.