“They’re so fast!” or “The quality is off the charts!” or “They’re so kind and generous”—These are all examples of business styles. They are, of course, customer perceptions of how these businesses go about running their operations. O, to be on the receiving end of these compliments!

Large companies tend to build their business styles via a brand style. They define how they present themselves to the public via their writing, their look (logo, colors, fonts, etc.), their communications, and so forth. Employees may wear uniforms, or they may have a dress code, to demonstrate their values and general style.

Small companies, however, build their business style via the owner’s personal style, which may be represented through many different components, visual, verbal, and written. Here are some quick considerations as a business owner:

• Is your business style all about the integrity of your word?
• Does your business style generate a feeling of warmth? Safety? Fun? A welcoming heart?
• Is your business built around tradition or around the latest trend?
• Is your business style, well, all business? You get to the point. No frills, no fluff?
• What are the traditions of your profession? Button-up suits or do you work in the trades, providing construction expertise?

Do these questions help stimulate your own ideas for expressing your style? And, do you believe your style comes across clearly to your customers? This is where you begin to intermix personal and brand style.

For purposes of this article, we’re not focusing on brand style elements: colors, fonts, tone of writing, logo and other design elements. Take your thinking on business style deeper:

What do you want to be known for?

If an immediate answer doesn’t come to mind, work from the opposite end of the equation: “It’s not their style!” meaning: “They don’t do business that way.” But what does that mean? Ask yourself what is definitely not your style of doing business. Maybe you don’t want to be known for:

• Speedy response – you give careful consideration to prospective and existing client requests, waiting a day or more to reply. You don’t use texting to communicate.
• Custom solutions – your best profit margin is on existing products, not crafting individualized, bespoke goods. You steer everyone to choose between products A, B and C.

Once you’ve eliminated what your style definitely isn’t, you can begin focusing on what your style is all about.

Examples of Communication Style

For some, business style may mean it’s not their style to communicate frequently. It’s a slow and steady approach. Business style may mean they don’t use social media to convey major news; social media may be an ancillary—communication style. It may mean that the business takes a slow and measured approach. And communicating with customers and the public may build a sense of exclusivity, spurring prospects to investigate how they can “get in on the good stuff.”

Volume may be key to your business (not how loud you are—although that could count too). But your business model may be reliant upon generating more and more transactions. High volume businesses often require more advertising to remind prospects in greater frequency that their products are “everywhere all at once.” This, too, is another style.

Clients’ business styles

There’s no right or wrong business style, which makes for an infinite number of styles. When I think about my clients’ different business styles, they are all over the map: One conveys a sense of gentleness, kindness, and compassion. Another reflects a light flare for elegance and wit.

Some clients’ styles are dictated by the type of business they run: one’s focus is on young children, with visuals that are colorful, bright and energetic. But they work with adults who help the kids, so it’s a combination of the seriousness of the work at hand with the joy of young children.

Another’s style is entirely focused on their customers’ needs for speed of use and rare products. The next company focuses on its hip appeal. It reflects the latest trends, its sleek, modern approach to everything from staffing to services. It aims to sell out of every product or service in short order and introduce new items within months. It creates buzz.

Write out your business style

You’ll find many articles touting the need to develop a business style guide, much like an employee handbook or onboarding process. But depending upon the size of your company, this information may be imparted with new employees (or clients) via discussion. However, a written guide can be immensely helpful to you as the owner in refocusing your efforts in what you’re trying to achieve with your business.

1. Do you wish to convey that high quality work, above all else, is at the core of what you do?
2. Is your focus on the speed at which you can deliver your service – faster than any competitor?
3. Is your offering known for being the most customized and unique in the marketplace?

Style Characteristics

Drill down on the style characteristics that are most important to you. Here are some examples of contrasting styles:

Without self-editing as you go, quickly write down business style characteristics you wish to be known for. You may even wish to self-score after you’ve made your list, indicating how well you’re achieving each one.

• Do any of them require more attention?
• Does one style come across in your social media and website but not other elements of style?
• Do you detect a need to draft a more comprehensive style guide for your business? (Have I asked too many questions?)

My own business style is a mix of complementary and contrasting style elements: I hope to provide customers with valuable business information to help them grow their companies. But I also don’t want to communicate too frequently that fans are put off by my outreach. Fun is an important element of my style, but I also don’t want that fun to be mistaken for being unprofessional. Most importantly for my clients, as a designer, I want to ensure my clients know my style doesn’t supplant their style.

Every minute of every hour of every day you are making the world, just as you are making yourself, and you might as well do it with generosity and kindness and style. —Rebecca Solnit

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More Elements of Business:

• Repetition – Marketing’s Secret Weapon
• Speed – Adapt Fast, Thrive Long
• Intentional Quality

Elements of Business focuses on one word or short phrase about business. Given the demands upon our daily attention, it’s often daunting to consider the recommendations in an article. (It’s estimated the average American consumes about 100,000 words heard or read every day.) But a simple word or phrase may be enough to stir your grey cells on the task at hand.