At the risk of sounding small-town, I experienced a bit of culture shock recently in Minneapolis. I was downtown in heavy traffic, surrounded by car horns and police whistles, unicycles and piercings. It was captivating.  Everything was loud and different and stunning. I drove by buildings I had worked in and tried to remember what it felt like when that was my world.

Since moving back to Duluth four years ago, I have found myself adapting more and more to my surroundings. Don’t get me wrong, I love Duluth. I also loved several items of clothing, which after the prolonged stares and “that’s different”comments, I gradually stopped wearing. It was easier to just blend in.

Interestingly, this same complex manifests itself in the business world. Advertising is about getting your audience to notice you. It’s about recognizing what is unique about what you do and elevating that difference. Businesses sometimes confuse modesty with mediocrity.  They don’t want to overpromise. They don’t want to appear too successful.

Standing out can be uncomfortable. I get that. But if you’re too afraid to tell the world what you’re all about, no one will ever know.