When we start working with a client we talk to them about their USP – what makes them unique and stand-out in the crowd? We also look at their legacy. In a tough climate people want reassurance – they want to hear about legacy.

We all have one – whether it is the legacy of our current business or our professional experiences to date; we are all a result of what we have done so far.

What surprises me is when I meet a company with a fantastic legacy but they don’t shout about it. Why wouldn’t you? Well sometimes, it is so much part of who they are, they don’t see that it should be shouted about. Sometimes it is just another thing they know they should do but don’t have time for. And sometimes they’re just being terribly English!

This week I was lucky enough to visit a company with a number of USPs – they are one of the only bespoke shoemakers left in the UK and have a workshop above their premises where the shoes are made employing the old, traditional craftsmanship which is a rarity in this world of mass-produced, factory line retailing. This company is selling something this is truly unique and high value, both in terms of the end product and its lineage.

Whilst there I learnt all about the process of hand making a shoe – and it is fascinating, especially if you get to see these skilled artisans at work. In order to make a bespoke shoe, they take a drawing of a person’s feet along with some measurements. They then make a ‘last’ which is effectively a mould of the inside of a shoe that will fit that individual‘s feet perfectly, which they carve out of wood. They then make the shoes around this last.

Unsurprisingly, this company also has a fantastic legacy. It has lasts for Charlie Chaplin, Fred Astaire, Paul Newman and Cary Grant on display in its shop which are amazing to see. And yes, Astaire’s last really does look like it was modelled on the feet of an angel.

My only issue is that the lasts should be on full display in the shop front so that anyone passing can immediately see their legacy, their USP and their assets. Which is surely what a shop window is for – whether it is a physical shop front or an online virtual one?