How will you and your business stand out in the crowd?

At www.jayperoni.com,  www.faithbasedinvestor.com, and www.valuesfirstadvisors.com, we have the HUGE challenge of trying to stand out in the crowded financial services space.  How many ads do you see for financial services?  Between the mutual fund industry, big brokerage firms, banking, mortgages, financial planning, and insurance companies with million or even billion dollar advertising budgets, how can the small guy compete?  Right?  Why even try…

How did we respond to this challenge?
My partners and I talk about what we are most passionate about:  money, faith, and investing in companies we believe in!   Our bold, unapologetic message of “get closer to God through your finances and don’t support investments that oppose your values”  is catching steam!

We have very busy schedules, people calling and emailing us every single day, requesting appointments and help from us!  The past few months we have seen the impact of touching lives.  God is opening mighty doors so we can help more of His people!
1.  We have seen a huge rise in traffic to www.jayperoni.com and launched our new wealth training program.  We  will be running this program each month to train and equip individuals to grow closer to God and learn the keys to building wealth that will make an eternal difference.

2.  We have seen an increase in subscribers to our investment newsletter at www.faithbasedinvestor.com
Check out a review of our service here from one of our subscribers:
http://www.household-budget-made-easy.com/learn-to-invest-money.html

3. We have seen a HUGE influx of new clients and prospective clients seeking Biblical advice on
financial planning and investment services at www.valuesfirstadvisors.com

So why the success?

Here are five reasons I see:

1) God is blessing us!  By following His will He is opening the flood gates to reach more of His people.
2) We took a risk so big it only could only work if God was involved.
3) Our message is different from all the other competition.  Who else is talking about faith, money, supporting investments in line with morals?
4) The market is looking for what we have to offer but have not been aware that exists
5) We stand out in the crowd.  We have created marketing messages that tell people who we are and what we do. We know exactly who we are, who are ideal client is, and how to reach them.

So I ask you: how are you different?

As an entrepreneur, I see people coming to me for ideas every single day. I hear a whole lot of ideas but very few that inspire me.   If you are just like everyone else, why would anyone want to do business with you?

There are two coffee shops that recently opened in my new town.  One called “Perk Up”.  The coffee is mediocre, they offer Krispy Kreme Donuts, and a “Starbucks-ish” environment. Nothing exciting! No unique spin.  Their brand image is well…bland.  Unless I happen to be near that location and desperately need coffee, I won’t go out of my way to stop in.

“Joey Bag of Donuts”, on the other hand, has a “gangster” theme with a flashback to the “Sopranos”.  They look, feel, and act the part!  They have great coffee, about 50 kinds of ‘specialty donuts ranging from Cocoa Pebbles and cookies n’ cream donuts to your traditional donuts. I would go out of my way to come here.   My kids like an occasional “treat” ;)

Who do you think will survive?  Who do think just created “buzz” – literally (beyond the buzz from their coffee)?

Want business?  Gain wisdom!

For those who are considering starting a business or already run one, if you missed my recent post on 12 characteristics of an ideal business, check them out!   They contain so much wisdom.  I have personally applied these to businesses and seen much success!

Go here to read