false 4 0 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Thu Feb 12 00:20:07 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 12 00:25:10 -0800 2009
The lighthouse metaphor is brilliant. It goes like this: lighthouses don't run up and down the shore trying to be everything to everyone. They stay in one spot so their customers (ships) know they are there and can see them as a beacon of light. They do their job and they do it well. They don't try to also be a thousand other things. This is a fundamental branding lesson. You want to be a lighthouse.

And it's something a lot of small business owners need to learn. Stop trying to please everyone who might be able to pay you something to do something. Focus on your perfect customers - the ones you will be the best fit for, and who will be the best fit for you. Therein lies the path to greatest profit and happiness.]]>