Doing things your way is one of the best parts of being your own boss and when done right seems to be highly correlated with outsized success. So, we wanted to gather real-world examples to shed more light on how the best artists, entrepreneurs and leaders differentiate themselves from others in their respective industries.

Marcos Moran

We get new boats every 3-4 months, new equipment every year, and we pay our employees really well. Non of those 3 are common in our industry. We spend a ton of money to make sure we always have good quality equipment and good quality staff. Read more>>

Andie Ingagliato

Our oldest daughter, Ava, just celebrated her second birthday this week and it has me reflecting on our lives and how so much has changed for us in just 2 short years. I am a better business owner BECAUSE I’m a mom. I have learned to prioritize what is most important and not apologizing for being a mom when it’s time to make that a priority. Read more>>

Alicia Reisinger

I am incredibly passionate about igniting change in the arena of working women, specifically working mothers. Creating a movement where women feel supported to challenge the status quo of when and how to work. And I was doing this long before the pandemic challenged working norms. I want to give women and moms a way to work differently that celebrates them as unique humans…working in a way that suits us as individuals rather than robotically pumping out work within an allotted timeframe set by production-based standards in early-century America. Read more>>

Jacqueline Pirkle

The Industry standard changes with the consumer demand. For example, pre-construction can be a really hot market for a while, and then shift to commercial real estate. I’ve found it beneficial to be flexible with the market and my clients interest. Read more>>

Adriana Castillo

As a small business we strive to establish lifetime relationships with our clients, we personally respond to our customers inquiries, and put customized and personalized effort into every project to ensure the best result. Every interaction we have is tailored according to each client’s needs and level of expertise. We work with a wide range of clients, from individuals who have no previous knowledge of laser technology or the usage of a vector software, to clients with high level of expertise. In the end our goal is to help people turn their project into reality as close as they envision it in their minds. Read more>>

Ricardo Garcia

At Coffee Kreis we aim to replace single-use plastics and replace the end-of-life concept of used coffee grounds, diverging from corporate/industry standards and reusing a material that has been usually considered at waste. We collect used coffee grounds and transform them into sustainable and reusable everyday consumer products, such as coffee cups. Read more>>

Matt Bodenchuk

The Toker Poker was born out of necessity. My wife, Leslie, and I made the first prototypes out of acrylic paint and hot glue because we needed the product, not because we wanted to start a business. It wasn’t until we used the first prototypes, did we fully understand how truly useful this little device and that it would be a game changer. Because we grew this brand from a grass roots perspective, we can easily connect with our clientele because at our core, we are our clientele. Read more>>

Natasha Pryngler

Kiboo Kids is a toy brand that diverges from the traditional toy industry in several ways. Our brand’s values are centered around diversity and representation, reuse and consume less, and ethically made by skilled hands. These values set us apart from the industry standard and are reflected in our products. Read more>>

Brenna Baucum

Most agree that strong technical knowledge is table stakes for a good financial advisor. You must have that to call yourself a CFP® professional (one of the litmus tests I encourage people to use when looking for an advisor). That said, I came to understand that technical knowledge alone was not enough to play the role my client families needed me to play. Read more>>

Megan Black-Smith

Before I started my private speech practice, I worked in schools and other private settings where it felt like something was missing. I couldn’t support clients and students to the best of my ability because the most critical factor that was key to their communication success was missing….parents! The nature of school based therapy, heavy caseloads, paperwork, made it impossible to include parents in their child’s therapy, but I tried nonetheless… Read more>>

Olivia Smith

My consulting and coaching is based on my experience of starting and building a multimillion dollar company. Through that journey I learned many important lessons. The main lesson I learned is that “knowing who you are” is one of the main keys to your success or failure as a leader. Read more>>

Taylor Allen

I’m very hands on with my clients, and I pride myself on that. I don’t have work hours, contact hours, and most of my clients have my personal number. I’m very big on the creative process being a collaborative effort, so I love for my clients to feel included and comfortable with who they’re working with. It’s the reason my company is named after myself, and why I don’t hide my face or name. Read more>>