I recently saw a video about a toilet paper company that has doing various things to set themselves apart in a market that is over-saturated and where everyone looks the same (white paper).  One of the things they have focused on doing is  marketing toilet paper that comes in colors other than white.

Branding is all about setting yourself apart in a way that is recognizable and memorable.  It is critical as a business owner to create that space in the market where consumers know who you are and what you stand for.  What lessons can you learn about your own branding when observing other markets?

Sometimes things can get “hot.”  Misunderstandings and disagreements happen frequently in the business world.  It can be very easy to take things personally and make things worse by getting emotional and angry in response.  Often though, the best solution is stepping back and calmly and rationally dealing with the issue.

Remember that the key to business is relationships.  The key to relationships is the ability to understand the other party.  How they act and react.  What their interests and needs are.  How to best interact with them.  Take the time to be rational in your business relationship and it will make the process much easier.

Stay rational!

What are the things that motivate you as you work and seek to accomplish things in your business?  What drives you to be more creative?  Here is an interesting discussion on the things that drive happiness.  What drives you to be more positive?  What are the things that set successful people apart that can be applied to others in their own progress?  Listen to this TEDTalk and see what lesson you can learn about your own happiness.

Any successful business is built around a team, not an individual.  It is critical for you as a business owner to build the team around you that will allow you to be the most successful.  Identify what needs to be accomplished, determine who is best suited to accomplish those tasks and then build the team.  As you do that, you increase the likelihood that you will be successful.

Take some time today and identify that team that will build success.

Here is an interesting video from INSEAD about what they term is “conspicuous” spending.  This is consumption that is used to improve your status in society or display a certain position in society.  What do you think about status and rank in your culture?