I spoke to a business partner yesterday, and he told me about his competitive edge that makes his small niche consultancy sustainable. ‘I don’t have the economies of scale that the large consultancies have, so I rely on my personal contact with clients. They join a club, and I keep in touch with them through my weekly newsletters and personal emails.’

I totally agree with him. As a small business you need to be smart to be able to compete with the large corporates. You have to offer your clients something that corporate can’t or don’t. We make sure that we take advantage of the flexibility of our organisation and our unique methodologies. No matter what happens, we deliver. Often a client assesses a situation wrongly before starting a project, and only once we are in the company we find out what the actual situation is. This is where our strength comes in, and where we anticipate to the situation to make it work for the client. In that process we meet deadlines and keep costs down. Most of all we create an environment that clients enjoy working in. Through our VizPro^® methodology processes are defined or clarified, and roles become clear. Visuals work: participants literally see how everyone is interlinked. That’s what makes it fun for clients to work with us. We don’t leave clients with a report that shows them how their business should work. We work in interactive work sessions to jointly define the most optimal processes and enlighten role players how and where they fit in.

Strategy is about how you create a sustainable business. About how you create a competitive edge. About what value you bring to your clients. No matter how small your company is, your strategy will determine your long-term success.