What’s My Special Sauce?
If you don’t know what your special sauce is, you’re probably asking the wrong questions.
You don’t have to worry about the competition.
Yes, I know it’s crowded out there. Yes, I’m confident there is room for you. Do you need to stand out? Yes. But most people go about it all wrong. And it all comes down to the questions you’re asking.
The two most unhelpful questions new business owners tend to obsess over are:
What can I do that is most likely to make money?
Who is most likely to pay me that money?
Focusing on these questions sets you up to build a brand that is out of alignment with what you actually care about.
There’s that beautiful Mary Oliver quote: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” Is it to focus on doing whatever you think people will pay for? Even if you hate it? Even if it’s boring or painful or no fun at all? Even if it’s to serve people you despise? I’m guessing no- that is not how you want to spend your one wild and precious life.
So, I’ve got some better questions for you to ponder as you build your business:
What do I care about?
What do I enjoy doing?
Who am I rooting for?
Now, before your internalized capitalism starts yelling at you that you can’t make money if you reorient around what you want, I’ve got news for you: it’s lying. You can make money doing what you want! And focusing on what you actually want is going to make it waaayyyyy easier to stand out from other providers of similar products or services.
I’m going to break it down for you exactly how.
Stop asking: “What can I do that is most likely to make money?”
Focusing on this question will lead you astray.
It comes from a place of scarcity, orienting around how to get something without factoring in what you genuinely want to give in exchange.
This question also assumes that what is “most likely to make money” has nothing to do with what you actually want to do and enjoy doing and is instead entirely based on factors external to you.
When you shape your business in response to “what can I do that is most likely to make money?” you’re effectively erasing yourself from your business. And you don’t want to do that, cuz, pro tip: you are the special sauce.
See, I know you care about more than simply surviving. I know you care about more than making money and a name for yourself. It’s OK that you want these things, but they’re not all you want. And they’re certainly not the wants that are going to make you stand out from the crowd.
Furthermore, I know you went into business because you wanted to help people. You have a way to make their lives a little or a lot better with your products or services. That’s a giving energy, and it’s a much more compelling focus for your business.
To reiterate: needing and wanting money from your business does not make you stand out. Offering a way to make life more worth living for your people does.
So, in order to have a recognizable special sauce, in order to stand out from a crowded marketplace, you need to factor yourself all the way in to your business. Starting with what you actually care about.
Start asking: “What do I care about?”
To uncover what you care about, I want you to answer the following questions- grab your journal, discuss with your work wifey, or meditate on them- but do make sure you have clear answers for yourself.
Let’s not worry about money for a sec. Or even work. When the pressure is off, when no one is looking, when you’re left to your own devices and are free to do your own thing:
What do you think about?
What are you trying to heal from?
What growth do you reach for?
What information do you seek out? What are you trying to learn?
What things do you see in the world that you want to make better?
Where do you put your energy?
How do you spend your time?
Review your answers and start noticing what your responses reveal about:
Your interests
Your values
Your moral code
The issues that matter to you
Where you’re trying to help & heal
What you naturally gravitate towards without the pressure of obligation
Next, I want you to reflect on your business. Does the business you’re building reflect your interests, values, moral code, the issues that matter to you, and the subjects you naturally gravitate towards? Does the work you do support where you’re naturally inclined to help & heal?
If the answer is no, how can you shift your offers and your focus so that they do?
You want your business to reflect what you actually care about because that is the business you are going to be most motivated and energized to build. The business that reflects what you actually care about is the business that is going to have such a dazzlingly charged identity that you won’t have to even bother thinking about standing out from the competition moving forward.
Start asking: “What do I enjoy doing?”
When I first started my business, one of the biggest mistakes I made was thinking that just because I knew how to do something, I should offer it.
Back when M.Isa was a full-service digital marketing agency, a lot of people were hitting me up for SEO, marketing metrics, ads, & social media management. And I offered it all because I had certifications, experience, and a track record… But I didn’t like it. I procrastinated and constantly felt the looming pressure of tasks people had paid me for that I didn’t actually want to do.
I may have gotten decent results most of the time - and disappointing ones more often than I would have liked - but it was nothing compared to seeing the results my clients were getting with the work I actually loved doing.
Moral of the story: just because you can offer something does not mean you should. Offer the work you love doing. You’ll get to have a lot less procrastination and pressure plaguing your life.
Remember, we’re aiming for a giving energy. Offer only what you’d be truly happy to give.
Like me, do you need to narrow down your product suite? Here are some prompts to help you figure out where to focus and what to phase out.
Do I have an offer I’m always late or behind on providing or promoting? Why?
Which of my offers do I tend to avoid working on? Why?
What is my favorite offer to provide? Why do I love it?
How do I feel when producing and promoting each of my offers? Which feelings do I want more of, and which do I want less of?
Stop asking “Who is most likely to pay me money?”
Many business owners are squeamish about narrowing down the customers they most want to serve. In those frightening times when money is lean, it’s hard to think you wouldn’t be happy with anyone who comes with cash.
But let me tell you, serving bad-fit clients is a miserable experience. Because they’re not who you made your offer for! And either you’re going to have to keep changing things up to meet their needs or they're going to keep being disappointed. Neither scenario feels very good.
It’s also really hard to figure out marketing and sales messaging when you’re trying to appeal to anyone and everyone. People are much more likely to take you up on offers when you’re specifically inviting them.
Start asking: “Who am I rooting for?”
Figuring out your ideal customer is much easier than you think.
It really comes down to: who are you rooting for? Reflect on:
Who do you want to see win?
Who are the people in the back of your mind when you decide how you want to minimize harm?
Who would you love to have in your shop or on your consult call?
Who triggers that “I could help you!” thought when someone’s small talk tips you off that they need something you have to offer?
These are your folx!
Yes, you have permission to let your ideal customers be the people you like, the people that hold similar beliefs and values, the people who are going through stuff you’ve gone through, the people it’s easy and fun for you to talk to.
These are your people. You already know how to talk to them. And no one can serve them the way you can, cuz no one else knows them so well.
In conclusion, you’re welcome.
Woop, did I just make ALL of marketing easier for you? Yep, I think I just did.
Your special sauce is YOU. Factor yourself into your business: what you care about, what you enjoy, and who you’re rooting for. Do that, and you’ll have no trouble standing out- no matter how crowded the market.
Well, if you just let out a big sigh and felt your should blades release down your back, prepare to have your mind blown in an even bigger and better way with my upcoming webinar: Why Nothing You've Tried For Marketing Has Worked & What To Do Instead. Join live from 1-2:30 pm PST Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022 so I can answer your questions, or register anyway to get the replay.
