Who Are Your Customers? Finding Your Destination Port

This is the second article in a series exploring the parallels between military doctrine and the skill sets required for owning and operating a successful small business. In my first article, The Compass, The Anchor, and The Destination, I established the vital importance of defining your values and mission—your anchor and your true north.

Now, it is time to look outwards and clearly define your ultimate objective: the customer. If your business is on a professional voyage, your customer represents your ultimate destination port.

For a luxury cruise line, this port might be a remote, exclusive island sought only by high-net-worth travellers; whereas, for a local ferry operator, the port is the commuter who needs reliable daily transport.

Without a clear destination, you risk running inefficiently, wasting time and resources on irrelevant journeys.

During my time as Director of Music for the Royal Australian Navy Band, clearly understanding my target audience was paramount—whether defining an audience profile for a major concert or ensuring we met the strategic musical needs of the Navy’s senior leadership team. This same principle of precision applies directly to small business.

1. Target Identification: Setting the Destination

You cannot successfully market your business to everyone. Just as a military unit has specialised missions (reconnaissance, logistics, etc.), your business needs a specialised focus.

For example, if you are a maritime book publisher, you may market specifically to maritime training schools or perhaps more broadly to people actively working in the maritime industry or undertaken maritime training course.

Question: Who is the exact customer segment (the destination port) you are aiming for?

If you try to satisfy every potential buyer, you risk spreading your resources too thin. You must use market research as a strategic chart, mapping the specific needs of your ideal buyer. This precision allows you to allocate your resources (time, money, staff) effectively, ensuring you sail directly to where your solution is most needed.

2. Justifying the Mission: Understanding Your Value

Once you know the destination, you must ensure your offering is precisely what your customers need.

Using the same maritime book publishing example, ensuring the book is kept updated with changes to relevant marine orders will help to guarantee the authority and value of the book. Stay focused on what the customer absolutely needs.

Or, for offshore workers who need reliable access in harsh environments, your unique value might be offering books in a waterproof, highly durable digital format that no general publisher provides.

Question: What specific solution are you providing, and why should the customer choose your service or product over another?

In the Navy, every unit had its unique role and mission and needed to demonstrate operational effectiveness. In business, your success is tied to the unique value you offer. When your organisational values and capabilities align seamlessly with your customers' articulated needs, you create a powerful synergy that pushes you toward success.

3. Avoiding the Shoals: Strategic Navigation

Knowing your customer helps you anticipate problems and navigate around market shoals (risks and unprofitable ventures). The market is full of competition, but understanding your customer provides a powerful strategic advantage.

For example, a company specialising in high-end, customised sailboat rigging and sails avoids the shoals of competition by not attempting to sell general marine hardware. Instead, they focus solely on the competitive sailing community, becoming the undisputed expert for that niche.

Similarly, a specialised marine technology firm might focus only on Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) hull inspections using custom underwater drones. By offering high-precision data rather than competing with full-service commercial dive operations on general, manual maintenance tasks, the firm competes on technology and accuracy, avoiding the labour-driven costs.

By focusing on a specific segment, you become the clear expert—the most reliable source in that particular area. This allows you to differentiate your brand and avoid direct, resource-draining confrontations with larger competitors.

The lesson from my naval career is clear: success is not achieved by engaging indiscriminately, but by precisely locking onto the target. In small business, that target is your ideal customer. Knowing who your customers are and what they need is the crucial step toward defining success.

Define them, understand their needs, and effectively chart your course to meet them.