Know your competitors

Even if you think you’re unique, you have competitors – sorry! It’s essential to your business success to know who they are; know why you lose out to them and to know what they're doing that you’re not. Once you know a bit about them go and buy from them; find out how you can identify their customers (it’s not as impossible as it sounds!) and how you can communicate with their customers to persuade them to try your product or service. If all else fails, look at the possibility of working in partnership with your competitors or even taking them over. In tough times it’s often the small nimble businesses that end up gobbling up the monsters – it could be you!