I have recently been studying some materials about business strategy and sustained competitive advantage—about how to gain the “unfair” advantage that will keep your business profitable and ahead of the competition.

Interestingly, most of the areas in which you can gain sustained competitive advantage involve the people, culture, strategies, procedures, and organization of your business—not the technology, product features, or price. That is, the relationships, goals, and hierarchy of your firm make the difference. Strengths and advantages in these areas are valuable, rare, and difficult to imitate.

How Do I Create Sustained Competitive Advantage?

There are many ways to create sustained competitive advantage, and I will discuss many of them in my coming posts. If I were to recommend one thing that you should start doing now, I would recommend that you work on your network of professional contacts—the synergy among the right people is a force that is incredibly powerful and nearly impossible to duplicate.

Ideas of How You Can Improve Your Professional Networking

• Print Some Business Cards

  Business cards may be cliche, but they work. Get some business cards, no matter how small or new your business, organization, or service may be. For smaller businesses or less serious efforts, you can get 250 free business cards from VistaPrint. For anything else, though, you should invest in some real cards with a custom design that fits your business.

  Make sure you hand out your cards to anyone who is interested in the work you are doing, who would be interested in your service, or who would be able to help you with something. Business cards have an incredible staying power—they sit in people’s wallets or planners for months, and then they come out to help unexpectedly.

• Attend Industry Events…

  …even if you don’t have anything you want to sell or buy yet. In fact, especially when you don’t have anything to sell or buy—this will give you the chance to learn more about your industry and the needs and wants of people in it. You will be able to focus on things that would normally escape your attention.

• Join Linked In

  Linked In is an online networking service. By joining and inviting your friends and acquaintances, you can rapidly build a giant network of professional contacts. It’s amazing how many people you are connected to by one or two degrees.

• Keep Your Resume Current

  Don’t do this because you want to get a new job necessarily—it’s simply a good idea to have a current list of your experience and accomplishments. You will be able to share your knowledge, attract new clients or partners, and see where you need improvements better.

Invest in the Human Aspect of Your Business

Remember, people and culture are nearly impossible to duplicate and are the most common sources of sustainable competitive advantage. Invest in the human capital that is, or will become, part of your ventures.