Use What You Have

When you're a small business owner, you don't always have a lot of resources at your disposal. We have to do a lot with a little. Sometimes, we have to do something with nothing. The key is often finding a new way to look at things. You may think you're at a disadvantage over the other guys, but if you look at things from a different perspective, you may be able to turn your weakness into an advantage.

When Michael Keaton was preparing for his role as Tim Burton's Batman, he was extremely uncomfortable in the suit - because he's very claustrophobic. He said the suit terrified him because he couldn't move around in it easily or even turn his head. But rather than letting that break him down, he channeled it, and used it to create a dark, brooding character that became iconic. He said the fear and discomfort helped him to realize that Bruce had this personality - "dark, and really alone, and kind of depressed." Without the claustrophobia, he may never have come to this conclusion or played the character in that way.

Sometimes, a different perspective is all you need in business, too. Sure, you've got no money for advertising. But you can use that disadvantage to fuel creativity, and find other ways to promote yourself that a bigger, better-funded company might not think of. You can catch people's attention by being different and interesting. So don't despair at your shortfalls - examine them, use them, build from them.