Every now and then I'll head down to London for a conference or to meet up with a client. I always enjoy my trips ot the capital.

One of the things I like about London is the sheer diversity. There are so many specialist restaurants and shops that you just don't get anywhere else in the UK.

On my last visit I spotted a specialist ribbon shop, and as usual, peered into the window of Arthur Beale's yachting supplies shop to look at the rope, ships bells, compasses and other obscure equipment.

The reason these specialist shops can survive and thrive in London but not in the rest of the UK is simply the sheer number of people who live and work there.

Even though they deal with a very tight specialism, Arthur Beale, VV Rouleaux the ribbon shop and the like have enough potential customers nearby who can hear about them and reach them to make them a success.

Focusing on a tight specialist niche means your marketing is much more likely to resonate with your target clients. To make them feel your services were designed just for them.

But it only works if you can reach enough of those targeted clients. Because of its size, that's often true of London and it's why it has so many specialist businesses.

And it's the same with the web.

One of the wonderful things about the web is its ability to lift geographic restrictions.

When I first set up in business, as an ex-consultant who'd got really good at marketing and selling consulting services, I looked into focusing on just that niche near my home base in the North West of England.

But there simply weren't enough potential clients nearby to make it viable.

With the web though, I can (and do) have global reach. People visit my website and sign up for my emails from all over the world (in fact I have more US subscribers than UK ones).

It's the same for you. If you want, you can have global reach online.

The first step is to market online so anyone can find you. The next step is to be able to deliver services remotely so you can translate your global reach into clients.

It might start with flying out to their location if it's a high enough value piece of work.

Or potentially working with them over the phone and skype if it's coaching or advisory work.

Or maybe you can deliver your service via pre-recorded video, audio or text. Further removing geographic restrictions.

Being able to overcome the geography barrier is hugely important. Because if you can find ways of remotely delivering your work. Or even just needing less of a physical presence. Then everything changes.

Then you can focus on a very specific niche you love, knowing there are enough reachable clients to make that niche viable.

You can communicate in ways that really connect with clients looking for those specific specialist services (rather than the generic communication you need to use when going for a broader market).

So here's a challenge for you: how can you break through the geography barrier in your business? What ways can you find to deliver your services remotely?

Because if you can crack this problem it can literally revolutionize your business.

It did for mine.