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.

Maria Browne

At Soul Cafe Coffee Roasters, we’ve intentionally diverged from the industry standard with our experiential approach to coffee. While most roasters focus solely on beans and brewing, we view coffee as a central element in creating complete sensory experiences. Read more>>

Linda Tuthill

Jenner Rose Goldman and Caryn Meg Hirshleifer became authors because Jennifer had a stroke at the young age of 30. While Jennifer remained in a coma, her mom Caryn documented and wrote down her journey and recovery. When Jennifer came out of the coma, both mother and daughter realized what a blessing it was that Jenn woke up. Jen said, ” I feel lucky to be alive.” They thought their story could help others and so they decided to write In The Face Of Catastrophe. Read more>>

Ivan Olivo

Unlike Uber and Lyft, Fare Co-op is a driver-owned multi-stakeholder federated cooperative where drivers are actual co-owners, not just contractors or employees. Our hybrid model ensures drivers earn up to 90% of fares after ride expenses, have a voice in decision-making, and can invest in shares that grow over time. Corporate rideshares take the majority of driver earnings and often deactivate drivers unfairly. We eliminate surge pricing, treat drivers with dignity giving them a voice, and provide ownership opportunities in the cooperative, including the ability to finance their own autonomous vehicles once we go public. Read more>>

Electra Rayne

It’s not secret that the vast majority of “lesbian porn” is actually made by and for straight men, and I can’t even count the number of Sapphic folks I’ve heard complain about how fake it is, and how they’d like to watch porn *in theory*, but how it’s not made for them and not at all appealing. I founded QueerCrush.com as a response to this issue, with the goal of creating content that accurately reflects the reality of lesbian sex as well as the diversity of the Sapphic commuty. Read more>>

Brooke Coe

Oh, definitely! Most flippers go the safe route with Home Depot cabinets, white walls, neutral everything because it’s easy and appeals to the masses. But here’s the thing: when buyers walk through ten nearly identical white-on-white homes, do they remember any of them? Probably not. Do they get emotionally attached? Even less likely. Read more>>

Maxwell Reagan

At Maxwell Tyler Interiors, I take a highly personalized approach to interior design, which sets me apart from the industry standard of mass-market design firms or one-size-fits-all solutions. Rather than imposing a signature style, I focus on crafting spaces that reflect my clients’ personalities, lifestyles, and aspirations. Read more>>

Jennifer Jeansonne

The industry standard for recruiting support is to use an expensive, industry-specific recruiting agency that charges a contingent rate based on the hired candidate’s anticipated first-year compensation. This is often far outside of the budget of many companies, especially startups and small businesses. It also often charges the business for products that they don’t actually use. Read more>>

Amy Knott Parrish

Unlike traditional coaching that emphasizes optimization and “highest potential,” I create a safe space for authentic self-expression and neurodivergent experiences. I help clients challenge systemic barriers rather than try to find hacks and tricks that make it possible to conform to or deal with them. I’ve abandoned the package-only approach common in the industry, offering flexible individual sessions to make coaching more accessible and organic. By offering free community co-working spaces like House Stuff and Money Stuff, I’m creating accessible support beyond traditional paid coaching relationships. Read more>>

Luke Meschke

One of the biggest ways we do things differently from the industry standard is how we approach roof maintenance and preservation. In this industry, the default mindset is often to push full replacements, even when a roof still has years of life left. At Guardian Cleaning and Maintenance, we take a different approach. Instead of automatically recommending a costly replacement, we focus on repairing, rejuvenating, and extending the life of existing roofs with GoNano products. Read more>>

K.H. Koehler

One of the biggest differences between my company, KH Koehler Design, and other, similar companies is our wide range of supportive services. We will literally take a rough manuscript and turn it into a fully realized product that can be sold on any platform. We offer edits, covers, finishing touches, and even marketing material. We do it all, which greatly helps our clients. They don’t need to rotate through a roster of different creatives. Read more>>

Heidi Abra

One of the things that truly sets my brand apart is the craftsmanship and care that goes into every piece. All of my designs are handmade right here in Los Angeles by a small team of skilled artisans. In an industry that often prioritizes mass production, I’ve chosen to keep things intimate and hands-on, ensuring each piece is made with incredible attention to detail and quality. Read more>>

Maureen “Mo” Faul

As a former healthcare executive and a current career coach, I’ve always been acutely aware of the industry standard – the cookie-cutter approaches, the relentless focus on tactical skills, the notion that professional success is only achieved by conforming to a narrow, masculine-leaning definition of leadership. And I’ll be honest, it’s never sat quite right with me. Read more>>

Dr. Franchelle Caesar

In 2019, I paid off over $600,000 in debt in just one year—without living on a budget. Instead of restricting myself, I deepened my understanding of my emotional triggers and spending habits. This resulted in greater self-trust, and ultimately gave me financial freedom. Now, I help other high-achieving women do the same. Read more>>

Felicia Bradley

Cocoa & Onyx® stands apart from the industry standard by offering a unique combination of style, practicality, and luxury that isn’t commonly seen in the pet accessory market. While many luxury brands, such as Gucci, have ventured into pet accessories, Cocoa & Onyx® has focused on creating products that blend elegant design with everyday functionality. Read more>>

Camara “Kumar” Thomas

Adorn Productions is a minority-owned portrait photography and videography studio based in Cleveland, OH, dedicated to providing customer experience-focused photography and video production sessions. Our nurturing, collaborative, and creative space allows us to capture the most genuine expressions, empowering our clients to showcase their authentic selves. Unlike conventional studios we desire to be more of a media partner with our clients, creatives, and their audiences. We believe by providing a nurturing, collaborative, and creative space we can capture the best expressions. By shifting the focus to expressions and the customer experience we feel as though we empower our clients to showcase their authentic selves. Read more>>

Emmy Bre

For 3VERYBODY, I really wanted to pave a new path in the self-tanning industry by focusing on inclusivity and simplicity! While most brands stick to narrow beauty standards, I aimed to celebrate real diversity with models of all genders, shapes, sizes, ages, and skin tones. We also avoided gimmicky packaging and complex product names, making our products straightforward and accessible to everyone, not just self-tanning pros! It was important to me to use a neutral color palette that would make everyone feel comfortable having our products on their bathroom counter. Read more>>

Samanta & Christopher Singh

At Shyne Event Services, we set ourselves apart by offering a fully transparent and customizable experience for our clients. Unlike many decorators who provide broad, one-size-fits-all packages, we take the time to break down exactly what each client is getting for their event. This personalized approach allows them to tailor their décor to fit both their vision and budget, ensuring they are not paying for elements they don’t need or missing out on details that matter most to them. Read more>>

Amie Bayardelle

If you told me, “Amie, at 25, you’re going to be a tarot reader, life coach, and breathwork facilitator ”, the old me would have spilled my pumpkin spice latte all over my college essays about the music industry. For so long, I went to therapy, psychiatrists, and groups to uncover the secret to healing and happiness. But the secret was setting it all aside, knowing that it wasn’t aligned, and that the truth was unknown. Drinking and smoking was never the core answer because I had no idea what I really needed was coming back home to my inner child. The purpose of bathrobe spiritual is joy, love, and light. For all of us to be comfortable with who we really are on a spiritual journey. It has no purpose other than to encourage the collective to see the miracles of life and light in a soul-rich, lighthearted way. Read more>>

Katie Olejniczak

When I created my instagram page: CHS (working) Moms, I promised myself and my viewers that the page would remain entirely authentic. With that, it meant sharing our stories, our values & the good, bad & the ugly alongside it. I see far too often, family creators that follow the trends of Instagram and TikTok and stay in that lane. Which, to be very honest, is very entertaining. For me, it was important to not only provide entertainment and favorite finds but to also provide a space for Moms and partners to feel welcome, ask questions, seek support and anything else they need. Read more>>

Sunny Jee Kim

One of the biggest ways my photography diverges from the industry standard is by blending my love for cinematic storytelling into my commercial photography and video work. While commercial photography often focuses on clean, product-centric imagery, I draw inspiration from the creative portrait and editorial space to craft visuals that are not only eye-catching but also deeply story-driven. My goal is to create images that do more than just showcase a product—they connect with people on an human level. Read more>>

Shelly Carlisle

I have a specific hiring practice that is probably a little unconventional–I hire for attitude, outlook and life experience over kitchen/restaurant background. I want everyone who comes to Spacecat to have a fantastic experience and have all of their questions answered and get great recommendations. The interaction with our team is one of the things that I believe sets us apart—we remember our customer friends and give them a special place all their own. Someone with the personality that can make that kind of experience and who is sincerely nterested in getting to know people is rare. Read more>>

Wade Sugiyama

While most marketing typically centers the brand as the hero of the story and, subsequently, centers marketing efforts around important moments for the brand. I challenge my clients to rethink their marketing and do the opposite. Instead, center your customer as the hero of the story and plan marketing efforts around moments that matter for your customer. Ultimately, it pushes clients out of their comfort zone, creates stronger customer connections, and helps brands to achieve breakout results. Read more>>

Jennie Love

The U.S. floral industry, while beautiful, is not sustainable. Eighty percent of the cut flowers sold in the U.S. are imported from other countries and are often coated in chemicals in order to cross the border. Much of the production abroad happens in countries where workers are exploited and the local ecosystem devastated by excessive water usage needed to grow flower crops like long-stem roses and carnations in arid regions. Read more>>

Hunter Pack

Growing up in the industry as a child in the early two thousands, I watched and experienced firsthand the effect that social media and the popularity of short-form content had on how media was produced. There seemed from my perspective to be a movement away from traditional approaches to film and television as more and more of the creative process was focused on expediency and less on quality. The use of practical effects and emphasis on creativity and quality seemed to decrease and was instead replaced with a focus on getting a product out quicker, even if that meant putting out a product that may not have been as good as it could have been in order to profit from a trend within current media. Read more>>

Danielle Yasuda

I think one of the perks of being a small business is being able to do things your own way. It allows for more creativity and diversity. For example, there’s no higher power telling me we can’t offer a donation based class, etc. Which is exactly one of the ways Movement by Kiko tries to differ. The majority of our group classes are offered on a donation base or sliding scale. We will never turn someone away for lack of funds and believe it’s more important that everyone, regardless of their socioeconomic situation, has access to movement. This mindset comes from the belief that movement is healing, and everyone should have access to healing. Read more>>