A wise friend of mine has often said, "There is no such thing as competition." I happen to agree with that philosophy. In fact, I have many solid business and social relationships with people you might consider my "competition". Some of my best friends are "competitors"!

Whenever I mention this, most business people disagree. "How can you say that," they protest, "when every month I lose business to competitors?"

I explain why my viewpoint is different. Certainly, there will always be other people in the same kind of business as ours, but that's not a bad thing. It keeps us motivated, and stimulated. And it also allows more people to learn about our type of business, which makes them more knowledgeable when we talk to them. I truly believe that there is enough business out there for everyone if -- and this is the key factor -- we are providing something valuable and unique enough to our target market.

Here's what I mean. The public relations business certainly has no shortage of agencies and independent practitioners. When I started my company three and a half years ago, my focus was traditional marketing and public relations, with standard retainer and project fees.

But along the way, my direction changed. My clients and prospective clients gave me other insights and ideas that led to the creation of new concepts and services (the Do-It-Yourself Public Relations Kit