Deviating from industry norms is one of the most common characteristics we’ve seen among highly successful brands and professionals and so we’ve asked some brilliant folks to give us real life examples of how they do things differently from the industry standard.

Katrina Owens

The foundation of my business is empowering small businesses, like service providers and solopreneurs, with the knowledge they need incorporate public relations into their overall marketing strategy, I actually didn’t start my business with this intent in mind – I have a background in corporate marketing and PR – so when I started my consultancy, I figured I would run a more standard agency, focused on serving large corporate clients. While I still do this for a handful of larger organizations, my passion really lies in education and empowerment. Read more>>

Javon Nicholas

In 2012, after my mother suddenly passed away, I took the advice of a group of friends at that time and applied for a language scholarship to study abroad in Taiwan Asia. I applied and was accepted into the two-year program. Because I was not college aged, I could not live on their campus. I found a hostel before I traveled to Taiwan and that experience changed my life! The owner of the hostel and I did not speak the same verbal language but the delicate and outpouring carer she and her friends gave me spoke to my soul. Read more>>

Cheyenne Reed

While I primarily focus on the conventional aspects of bookkeeping, I also bring a unique element to my practice that sets me apart. I incorporate spirituality and magic into my work to help my clients. Drawing upon spiritual practices, I tap into a different realm of understanding and energy. This isn’t about casting spells or performing rituals, which I do plenty of myself, but rather using mindfulness, intuition, and a deeper connection to help guide my clients through their financial journeys. It’s about bringing a sense of clarity, calm, and positivity to the process. Read more>>

Jake Johnston

I find that in video production, a lot tend to get stuck in the rat race of being the next “big” director. I’ve seen client communication fail, low retention rates, a lack of cashflow, and unregulated processes. My biggest goal is to have quick communication, and a failsafe process in place for our crew and clients. On top of that, I wanted to make sure that I didn’t fall into the “starving artist” category when I started making music videos. This drove me to create a plan to have video production fund my life long term. Read more>>

Jennifer Reynolds

There is a lot of industrial manufacturing surrounding the food business. Most companies use additives and preservatives to provide a less expensive product that lasts a long time. One the surface, that sounds great. Who doesn’t want a long lasting product or something that costs less. But what if it means it’a not actually food that we are eating? What if we are eating flavorings and water to make water taste like something it isn’t. What if we are adding thickeners to that flavored water to give it the texture of bbq sauce, for instance? Most companies don’t take it that far, there is food involved and there are also a lot of additives.  Read more>>

Meg Schmitz

Franchise brokers are rampant these days as more media attention has highlighted the benefits of franchise ownership for people looking for financial diversification. Franchise consultants, such as I am, work more closely with both the prospect looking to buy AND the franchise companies looking for additional owners. To create the right “match” the consultant must know their portfolio of companies, the culture of the owners, the leadership team organized by the founder, and specific details about the route to financial success.

Alyssa Gorlitz and Mike Boutsikaris NA

In 2020, we purchased a very well known brand, “Total Tan Sun Salon”, from someone who grew to become a family friend. He spent nearly 3 decades in the industry and was able to rise to the top 5% in the industry nationwide, with 1 brick and mortar location. Our vision for our brand was to carry on our friend’s legacy while expanding our footprint to more communities across Metro-Detroit Michigan. What sets us apart from anyone else in the industry, is that we lead with customer service and cleanliness, in an upscale, relaxed salon environment. Read more>>

Kate Williams

The industry standard for outsourced business content is an agency model. With this model, companies hire digital marketing agencies that outsource content to a string of freelancers. This model can be scalable, but expensive. Plus, clients don’t get to engage with the freelancer directly –they need to go through an account manager. So, the relationship is built between the client and the account manager rather than the client and the writer. Plus, most of the money clients pay ends up in the agency’s pocket, with the freelancer receiving just a small fraction of it for their hard work. Read more>>

Jessica LaMarre

What sets Love Personal Growth apart from the industry standard is our unique approach to personal development. While most organizations in our industry focus solely on techniques and strategies, we take a distinctive path by infusing spirituality into every aspect of our work. It’s important to note that we are not a religious organization, but rather a company founded on the principles of personal growth and empowerment. Read more>>

Leigh Dunn

I feel it’s important to stand out in any industry. I want my clients to feel appreciated, noticed, and served well. I have them choose between fresh flowers or a drink of choice. When I arrive at the appointment, I will bring one or the other. Sometimes, when your home is cluttered and you feel overwhelmed and isolated, you simply need another voice to help process what needs to be kept, thrown away, or donated. This is not an easy process. I want the client to feel treated and make the process as enjoyable as possible. Read more>>

Keely Yulla Kemp

In the entertainment industry, there is a lot of competitiveness which is surprising for an industry that relies heavily on collaboration. I saw this in my early days when I first entered the industry at ground level almost two decades ago. Back then, it was more of a hobby but as the years progressed and I knew this was going to be my career I wanted to change the game, or at least MY game. There’s the old saying, “a rising tide lifts all ships” and I live and breathe this mantra. Read more>>

Elise Hanks

I spent many years working as a floral designer in flower shops and design studios and as much as I loved working with flowers, I was always troubled by the amount of waste that this industry produces. I knew there had to be a better, more sustainable way to bring flowers to my local community, so I began growing my own flowers right here in Philadelphia. Pulling from some experience working on farms in the past, I began growing flowers that I knew would do well in my climate and would be appealing to customers. Read more>>

Vidya Moorthy

The Professional Development industry is a crowded one – perhaps because of the low entry barriers. Its a low investment entry point. Even in today’s racing digital world, the classic word-of-mouth analog acceleration still applies in this industry. Our presence in Austin is only two years old but our penetration has been commendable. These are some of the things we have done differently that I believe have helped catalyze the rate of growth. Read more>>

JJ Galloway

One of the best and hardest things about the art business world is there is no industry standard. The job descriptions of those in the industry are all elastic. You have to be comfortable with making your own path and working with a dynamic business plan. I began my virtual gallery as an art agent representing other artists just before COVID lock down. Everything I’ve read and learned in the business before COVID is now completely different. The role for virtual only galleries might not have even been a “thing” before the lock down. Now it’s pretty common. Read more>>

Alan Karbelnig, PhD, ABPP

My long-standing political and scholarly interest lies in unifying the various tribal conflicts within psychoanalysis. Towards that end, I’ve written a number of articles promoting this cohering model: Psychoanalytic psychotherapists, regardless of their theoretical preferences, share in these three modes of intervening: 1. They create a frame, or a crucible, for personal transformational processes to unfold; 2. They bring their presence, in the form of attention, respect, and empathy, to their patients within the transformational frame, and; 3. They engage patients in dialogue, conscious and unconscious, intended to access, uncover, and alter problematic unconscious schemata. Read more>>

COLTON Kenyon

The thing that sets us apart from most Jewelers especially in Seattle Washington area is the fact that we know that we like to make heirloom quality jewelry that you could pass down generation to generation. Not only creating personalized custom pieces that are also affordable for most people, but being able to take pride in creating something allows you to want to show it off more. I think the standard of what we call Beautiful is very independently subjective. Being able to give people the power over their Style and their luxury really allows them to own the perfect piece. Read more>>

Courtney O’Grady

At our company, we came together because we noticed a big need for better preparation in education. You see, the usual way is to go to college, do some student teaching, work on professional documents with your advisor, and often end up as a substitute teacher before going into the classroom. But there’s a missing piece when it comes to preparing for those crucial teaching job interviews. That’s where we step in! We work side by side with candidates, guiding them step by step through the process and even helping them craft those important documents. Read more>>