Ask an Expert: Bowl shows you've got to know your rivals

— -- Q: Loved that Super Bowl win by the Giants, but it's hard not to feel sorry for the Patriots. Sort of reminds me of losing a big client when you least expect it. — Jim

A: My pal Jim made this observation after the game and I thought it was pretty astute. The 4th quarter of Sunday's Super Bowl game was very exciting but it was hard to believe that the Patriots wouldn't pull it out, given their dominating season and 18-0 record going into the game.

But they didn't. In the end, Tom Brady was forced to throw a couple of Hail Marys to Randy Moss and hope some of the magic dust that had been sprinkled on their season remained. No such luck.

How do we avoid a similar fate? As small business people, we have our own personal challenges and tests. Whether it's landing the big, new customer or impressing that person you need to impress, we all want to succeed.

Here then are my four tips for winning your own personal Super Small Business Bowl:

1. Don't ignore the competition:The two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl are filled with super hype, sure, but behind the scenes the coaches are busy analyzing what the other team will likely do and making the necessary adjustments and plans needed to hopefully counteract it.

This is a play that many small businesses could really stand to take out of the NFL playbook. Too often, we spend our strategic energy thinking about what we will do and not really worrying about what the competition is up to.

But it would behoove many an entrepreneur to spend more time thinking about the other team. Keep an eye on their store and/or website. Check out their ads. What's their game plan? Is there a play there that you could run too? Is there a weakness in their offense that may be an opportunity for you?

2. Do what you do best:Growing your business and trying new things are great; in fact, a lot of the juice in business comes from trying out new tricks and strategies. But as you do, don't lose track of what it is you do that got you to the big game in the first place.