So, you want to start a business. You are good at what you do, and you know what you want to offer your future customers. But what kind of business are you establishing? What’s it’s personality? There are many greeting card businesses, handmade bag businesses or soapmaking businesses out there, but they are not necessarily alike, even if they offer the same product. A card is not a card. Some may be colorful, others elegant, strict, whimsical… the list goes on. To help you be consistent in your business from the get-go, you need to establish a feeling for what kind of business you want to have.

Try to describe it. To help you with this, the authors of The Boss of You suggests an exercise where you pretend your business is a person, and you should try to write a profile for this person.

I think consistency is an important factor. Personally, I don’t think you should try to please everyone - because you can’t - and I belive this is especially important when you start out small. You have a skill and/or a craft that you’re good at, and your personal way of doing it; your personal style to it. Stick to it.

Loobylu gave the writing a profile exercise a little twist when she suggested to describe a meal that reflects the feeling of your business. Here’s what I wrote: A sunny day, sitting in the garden, listening to birds chirping, a fresh scent of flowers in the light breeze. Eating a bowl of greek yoghurt, strawberries, pistachio nuts and a drizzle of honey.

What’s your meal like?