Consider the Clownfish

I don't think the clownfish needed much help from Disney's Nemo to deserve a place in our imaginations. While Nemo spent most of the story away from home, it is where and how the clownfish makes his home that I think is most amazing. You're probably already familiar with the clownfish strategy but, if not, it's worth retelling. They live their lives amongst the deadly stinging tentacles of certain sea anemones, nestled in the very tendrils that are designed to catch and kill fish. The clownfish, by virtue of special adaptations unique to itself, has found a little (dangerous) corner of a big dangerous ocean where it thrives. It nestles in and waits for its share of food that the anemone grabs. The fish's hallmark orange color even attracts predators that end up getting caught by the anemone. It is an amazing and beautiful mutual relationship. The clownfish has found its niche, its corner of the ocean that fits who it is and in which it can thrive. 

And that is what all of nature is filled with, an endless variety of creative ways of surviving. Every little corner is filled with creatures who exactly fit the limitations and opportunities specific to that place. They do it with color, fur, feathers, claws, teeth, and smells, sometimes even a taste for a kind of food that no other animal can digest (Koalas anyone?). 

Of course, not all creatures thrive by being as unique as the clownfish. Some do it by just being big and dangerous or by being too numerous to fail. A great counterexample to our clownfish is the pigeon who has made its way by adapting to almost every environment: city streets, shopping malls, forests, grasslands, Europe, Asia, and North America, eating anything, and nesting everywhere. They are the ultimately adaptable and resilient species. It takes all kinds.

But it is the niche strategies that interest us at Pivotol. Working with small businesses, organizations, and entrepreneurs, we never cease to be amazed and fascinated by all of the unique and unexpected ways that people bring value to the world around them through their businesses. For many of our clients, just telling the industry they're in doesn't begin to do justice to who they are and what they are doing. It would be like describing the clownfish as, "You know, it's just a pretty fish…." There's so much more to tell!

Telling Your Own Story is Hard

Telling that story of what makes you so unique is a real challenge. You could just say…"Well we're a construction firm, and we're good at it." And that would put you in a pool with a dozen other firms in your market that also do construction well. You can announce your interior design skills to anyone who'd listen, but how far is that getting you? Is it getting you the kind of jobs you like best, the kind of clients that spur you to do your best work?

Try asking the clownfish how he makes his home in the anemone? If he could talk he probably wouldn't begin a discourse on mucous membranes and anemone neurotoxins. He'd likely just say," I like it here. It fits me, it just feels right." Many small businesses, after they get through the tough start-up years where they're happy for any work at all, start slotting into their own niche, start finding those clients and jobs that just "feel right". But what is that just right feeling? Can you articulate what that sweet spot is? Can you name it? And if you could, could you do so in such a way that the best kind of clients find you and slot right in like you were made for each other? What we've found is that, for most, it is hard to tell your own story. 

Perhaps there is a deeper question to be asked first. Did you ever even dare to think, "if only I could do all my work in that sweet spot with those kinds of clients''? Well, we dare you to think that. You've got a niche that fits you and that you could thrive in. What if you really drove hard into that niche and made it your own?

Driving Hard into the Niche

One of our long-term clients, a commercial construction firm, came to us with a challenge. Their company was growing leaps and bounds and was moving from being a scrappy start-up into bigger waters. They were really feeling the need to narrow in on their niche language. They were now in a market where most companies could do all aspects of construction, so focusing on one type was no advantage. From the get go, they had made a commitment to putting relationships at the center of what they did, and all of our brand storytelling for them flowed from this commitment. In a smaller market and with smaller projects that they started out in, this really set them apart from the competition. 

But moving into a bigger city market, bidding on jobs for larger institutions, brought up a question. Did their story, and the way they were telling it, translate into a bigger market? Could they expand their niche and still remain true to who they were? They knew that they were still committed to putting relationships first and that this was their core identity as a company. So we put our heads together with them and took this great commitment to putting relationships at the center and hashed out in clear simple language how that actually works out and brings value to every stage of a big construction project. This was their niche; this was what set them apart. As their company grew they took with them an even deeper and clearer outworking of their fundamental DNA. They could bring new employees into that story, they could give it to potential clients, and current clients, as a sort of road map for what to expect from working with them. 

This is the part of our work that we call Brand Shepherding. We take your Brand Story, develop it, hone it, bring it into line with your company as you change and grow, express it to new clientele or markets as you move into them. We help you to not only drive hard into that unique niche that you've found, but to thrive there.

The Freedom of Being Yourself

It takes courage and boldness to do this kind of work, to both nail down as well as commit to honestly being the best version of who you actually are, but it is possible. Where we at Pivotol stand is in the position of the curious marine biologist wading around in the tide pools, wondering at this interesting and unique niche you have found your home in. We want to understand what makes it home for you, how did you find your way here, what works and what doesn't. What do you dream it could be but it isn't yet? What kind of work or clients would you love to do away with if you could?

This is our brand process. It is our unique privilege to get to know you through your own eyes, through the eyes of your employees, friends, and clients. This is Pivotol's niche, taking all of these treasures and handing them back to you in a clearly told story, in beautiful language that you can pick up and run with. And as your company grows, as your niche develops and redefines with age, we'll walk along the road with you, pick up new threads and loose ends and weave them into your story in new and inspiring ways.