A lighthouse stands strong beaming its light into the world. There is no doubt about what that light means. In one or two words, you know that it means danger, stay away.
You know it is meant to guide you, show you the safe route.
The lighthouse never moves. It weathers every storm because it’s built on a strong foundation.
Is your business like a lighthouse?
It’s funny how we often look at something over and over again and never really see it! Last week, I asked my bookkeeper to send me a copy of a client’s invoice; one that he generates from our bookkeeping software. Immediately, I was struck by our logo – a lighthouse!
I had never really made the connection between a lighthouse and a successful small business until that day.
Here’s what I mean:
1. The lighthouse light – It’s a single strong beam with a single strong message.
- A lighthouse light means danger, stay away. Can you relate your message to your prospects in simple language or even 1 or 2 words?
2. The lighthouse beam is extremely important – it’s the building’s sole purpose. How effective it is depends on its ‘reach’ and how easily it is seen.
- Apparently, a lighthouse light reaches 16 nautical miles. How far does your beam/message reach? Not distance but audience reach?
- A lighthouse beam is always shining, is your beam/message consistently showing up or are you inconsistent with your messaging and how & where you show up in the marketplace?
3. Another element of a lighthouse is its individual different colour scheme and pattern, as well as different light pattern. This way each lighthouse serves as a reference or guide point along the way. If your business was a lighthouse, you might say that the individual colours could be similar to your brand allowing it to be distinctive from the other lighthouses.
- Does your brand stand out from others in your field or industry? Or does it sound and look just like everyone else? If you’re a real estate agent or financial advisor or health coach – on first glance, do you look like everyone else?
- What makes you different? How do you stand out from your competition? Do you have something unique and how do you express your uniqueness?
4. According to research, no two lighthouses have ever been built exactly the same way. And I would bet that no two businesses are built exactly the same way either. Although there are certainly similarities amongst successful businesses, each one is built on a strong foundation so that it can weather any storm.
- Is your business built on a strong foundation (does it have 6 strong pillars — marketing, sales, monetization, offer, people (staff), physical location)?
- How did it weather the ‘Covid-storm’? Did your business adapt easily?
5. The first lighthouses used fire as the source of light. In 1886, the Statue of Liberty became the first ‘electric’ lighthouse and by the 1960’s, most American lighthouses were automated.
- How automated is your business?
- Do you have systems in place to help automate to reduce your work load?
BONUS: A lighthouse was built for one purpose – to keep ships & mariners safe. It’s about what it can DO for those who need it (what problem it can solve for ships). Why was your business built? Is it staying true to the problem it solves?
Is your business as effective as a lighthouse?
- Do you have a strong, simple, single marketing message?
- Is your message reaching a wide audience?
- Is your message consistent into your marketing assets (social media, website, content)?
- Is your brand distinctive from others in the mind of your prospect?
- Have you automated simple tasks in your business?
If you’d like some support to become ‘lighthouse strong’, let’s have a chat as soon as possible. I know you want to impact more people – the sooner, your beam of light is strong and clear – the sooner you’ll serve more people!
YOU CAN DO THIS
Diana
Why not book a Jumpstart VIP Day (or half day) to make you ‘lighthouse strong’? Let’s talk about how this could work for you! Book your call here.
