Have you been watching the recent BBC Planet Earth II? If so, you might have seen the jungles episode with the magnificent Sword-Billed Hummingbird.

If you didn’t see the programme, like all hummingbirds, this bird lives on nectar from inside the flowers.

But unlike most hummingbirds, the Sword-Billed Hummingbird has evolved a magnificent beak and it is the only bird to have a beak that is longer than it’s body.

It might be cumbersome, but this specialist beak allows this bird to access nectar deep inside the flowers that other pollen-eaters can’t reach. As a result, this bird flourishes!

It occurred to me that this is exactly the same for us in business and especially those of us running small businesses.

When we try to be all things to all people, we struggle. Our message isn’t clear and our audience sees little or no difference between us and the other myriad of companies offering the same thing – so the conversation defaults to ‘who has the best price’.

However, when we specialise (or in our business context, we innovate and differentiate) and find an approach that is focused on solving a customer problem, then we too thrive.

So, stick your beak out, focus on what makes you different … and perhaps hum a little!!