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.

Steven Starks.

My approach to filmmaking and being a professor is similar: I’m there to serve. But I feel in order to serve you must have to live in your truth. And I also feel that you must be trustworthy, show up and deliver. believe that a lot of people may get no the film industry because you can make a lot of money fast, But no one is going to spend money with yu if they don’t trust you. And trust is something I pride myself on because that’s what will keep the clients coming back for the next project they have, etc. Read more>>

Gina Montalbano

Something that isn’t commonly known about winemaking is the large amount of waste that it can produce. As the daughter of immigrants and married to a retired Army Major, my husband and I saw and hated how much of the local produce we use wasn’t making it into the final product. In an effort to cut out as much of that waste as possible, our smaller company “Bella Vino” (Italian for “beautiful wine”) was born. Read more>>

Meredith Forte

Frame Avenue Design is definitely not your average picture framing company. I created a mobile service where I assist clients with framing projects, art installations, and designing fabulous gallery walls from the comfort of my clients homes. This in-home service gives me the opportunity to see the spaces where the artwork would be hung, and I can select picture frames and design gallery walls that would suit my clients style, which is not the type of personal service you can get at any picture brick and mortar. Read more>>

Harriet Thompson

Being a photographer means that you are expected to take pretty photos – now, this is true, however my focus is on the experience itself as opposed to just the photos. I won’t lie, the photos do end up being really beautiful, but I attribute this to the experience I create for my clients during a photoshoot. By making my couples or seniors feel comfortable and confident during a session, we are able to create magic together and end up with amazing photos as well as a memorable time. Read more>>

Rosie Valentine

Rosie Valentine Photography is centered around client experience. I care deeply about the work that I do as a trauma-informed and LGBTQIA+ affirming photographer. My goal is to empower and support my incredible clients, co-creating a space in which they have the freedom and support to show up as their authentic selves and celebrate their truth. Read more>>

Eric Silver

I haven’t focused my work and career on just the local Nashville community. In fact I have made it a point to be involved very involved with international communities where I developed contacts over the years, specifically Brazil, but also Canada, Mexico and Australia. Read more>>

Lucia Rivera

Good question. I believe there to be two noticeable things we do differently from the industry standard. First, the fresh quality food we serve, and second, the service we provide. We are not fast food. We are good quality food from a food truck. Expect a wait time when you eat with us because fresh is best and that is what you get when you eat with us. When you eat with Lucy’s Puerto Rican Kitchen you know your meal will be made for you. We will always offer our customers high-quality food from our “food truck”. Read more>>

Alex Gulick

Everything I design, lettering-wise, is done by hand. And by hand, I mean every piece of writing is uniquely its own for the specific occasion, the functional purpose, and most importantly, for the exact person who ordered it. There are no duplicates and that is meant to communicate to each customer that me working with them is not just a business transaction, but an intentional interaction. Read more>>

Barbara Elizabeth

I try to make my Entrepreneurship Coaching Services and eBooks affordable, straight-to-the-point and easy to implement. The industry standard is to charge astronomical prices that are out of reach for the ones who need it most. Personalized business coaching is a lot of work and very time consuming. Prices can be in the thousands which is usually not in the budget for owners of new and fledgling businesses. Read more>>

Bonnie Laiderman

We’re a leading national home care company but we do something different from others in our industry. Like others, we help disabled adults get help with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, meal preparation, light housekeeping, laundry and more. Yet, this type of long-term care isn’t covered by Medicare, so cost is often a concern. We help families address the cost of home care. Read more>>

Steve Soule

Since day one, I have always strived to deliver more than the industry standard. Preparation in our industry(ceramic coating and paint protection film) is critical to delivering the best and longest lasting results for our customers and we always work to be the best in preparation and execution of our services so our customers receive the highest level end product. Read more>>

Grace Locklear

One very conscious deviation I make from industry standard is to make everything by hand, with great attention to detail per unit. For example, the ‘standard’ bar of soap you’ll find in the grocery store is fairly nondescript: usually one color, with no particular design except maybe a logo stamped on. My soaps, on the other hand, feature intricate designs with multiple colors, oftentimes texturing and garnishing each individual bar, and finally beveling each bar by hand for a refined look. This level of intricacy requires far more time and effort per individual bar than your average grocery store soap. Read more>>

Shari Landa

Every business owner has one goal. It’s to be successful. Whether it’s financially, or socially, we all start businesses to succeed. My end goal is to help you start up or revamp your company by getting you organized. When a client books with me, I always start off by asking them what standard operating procedures they have in place. Read more>>

Chelsie Lopez

I do not charge licensing fees, or charge more for a shared shoot between multiple businesses- nor do I charge extra for my clients to share digital images with their clients, vendors, suppliers or even publications. Read more>>

Kim Valle

We are a salon that focuses on serving women in our community of all ages. We believe every woman is beautiful and we love to help them define their own boldly defined style. Read more>>

Sharece Young

Hair Youphoria was developed to offer the consumer a euphoric hair extension experience. The love of the beauty industry brought Hair Youphoria Extensions to life. When the market began to grow, quality plummeted. We felt inspired to develop a product that would not only last its workmanship but also offer you versatility and freedom. Read more>>

Ryan Sneddon

Our local newspaper is written at a post-grad level. This is such a miss because to reach the masses in America, you should be writing at a sixth grade level or lower. People get upset about this because it makes them sound unintelligent. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Read more>>

Lolita Hampton.

I started The Personifi Group with the vision of helping individuals discover their personal brand and teaching them how to monetize on their brand for optimal success. Our mission at Personifi is to work on personalized brand development. We understand that every person is different, every story is personal, and every vision is unique. The industry standard in brand development often focuses on the “groups of individuals,” vs. “each individual.” Read more>>

Jeremiah Jaroch

Yes! I often try to go the extra mile and provide above and beyond customer service and experience for the people who choose to collect work from me. I always send my clients a preliminary sketch the night before their appointment. There are a few reasons that I do this, the first being that, it reduces my stress level going into the next day. Read more>>

Maggie + Patrick Nolan

We are the only husband/wife photography team that double dates their couples post engagement session. We do this because we feel that wedding photography is intimate, personal, and this allows us to break any barrier and to build trust and build a relationship with our couples. It impacts the wedding day and empowers us to do what we do well since our clients don’t view us solely as a contracted vendor. Read more>>

Katie Stephens

My Irish dance school does not participate in Irish dance competitions, which is pretty rare in the Irish dance world. We are focused on teamwork and on exciting, innovative performances that bring joy to our audiences. Read more>>

Amber Casciano Shatzen

Chrome Rose Salon officially became a business January 2022. I knew I wanted to hire stylists this year and that I wanted to run my salon/business in a new and effective way. A way that most commission based salons have never done before. After working in commission based salons for over a decade, they’re all basically the same. No matter how “different” each company claims they are, they all still have the same core issues. Toxicity, ridiculous expectations of “paying your dues”, unrealistic retail sales goals, with low commission rates, and even non compete contracts. Read more>>

Sydney Ferris

When I was younger, the bounce house industry only had one option, the primary color bounce house. As our world has changed into “Instagrammable parties,” and photos are the main takeaway, people want to have something unique. Having a white bounce at your event, is like having a unicorn. If having white bounce house isn’t enough, we have all the popular party trends. The Bounce Bash offers the full party package! Read more>>

Sarah Crawford.

Industry standard health care relies heavily on reactive medicine through a lens of risks mitigation on the part of the provider. I need to be clear in stating that this statement is not directed at any single provider or group of providers inside traditional healthcare systems but instead at the systems themselves. We have allowed insurance companies to get involved in decision making by using gold standards as primary modes of decision making. Gold standards are incredibly useful but not all individuals fit inside any particular paradigm. Read more>>

Whitly Hamilton

Creative Crucian LLC offers Caribbean-inspired design to everyday stationery items, books, graphics and exquisite paper goods. When shopping for stationery items, you are drowned with neutral colors, common florals and designs you have seen before. Creative Crucian makes Caribbean culture fun, bold and accessible for everyday life. Read more>>

Yvette Williams

Started in Atlanta, Georgia, My Best Beauty Outlet was started out of a need. In 2018 Yvette and her husband started traveling to Asia. One of her friends who suffered with hair loss suggested that she bring some high-quality hair back for her as she could not find the hair that she needed at the price she could afford. Always having a love and passion for hair, extensions and wigs Yvette took on this new challenge to help her friend with gusto! Read more>>

Nancey Harris

The concept for Vontélle was born out of a need of both founders Tracy Vontélle Green and Nancey Harris, who wanted better fitting glasses, color and culture. When they did not find what they wanted, they created it. These luxurious designs are tailored to empower humanity to see the world through a cultural and global lens. We offer optical frames and sunglasses in sizes that compliment diverse faces. Read more>>

Taylor Nave.

We are extremely different from the current industry standard of “mobile bartending”. Our entire operation is mobile. We actually drive the truck that we serve our drinks from which is usually not the case. Our truck is setup to serve drinks straight from kegs, creating a situation to be able to serve craft cocktails and draft beers from any remote location, no electricity required. Our business is defying all kinds of odds and we love to hear people say that our truck is the first of its kind that they’ve ever seen. Read more>>

Amanda Clark

St. Louis has a rich and complex history, we’re a city that is still grappling with the consequences of late-20th century social and economic changes. Our tours are the only ones that work to make the experience of learning St. Louis history a blend of entertaining and enlightening. We aren’t afraid to acknowledge things like racial divides and their causes, while also celebrating the beautiful built environment we are surrounded by. Read more>>

Jimmie Drummond

At Drummond Projects, we practice architecture with a cross-disciplinary approach. We’re different from other architecture firms because we take projects from start to finish inhouse. Our more hands on, collaborative approach allows us to be there for every step, from planning, to building, to finishing touches like lighting and interior design. This allows the client a degree of customization and care that is unparalleled in the industry. Read more>>

Callie Mundy

cake… in a jar! My most popular product and what I’ve become known for is my assembled ready-to-eat layer dessert cakes made in glass jars. Read more>>

Yolanda Campbell

I believe that when you come to SheCuts Barber Studio I provide more than just hair services, my clients receive a total zen experience from the moment they come through the door they will walk into a clean, friendly, welcoming atmosphere with the smell of scented candles burning and the sounds of a musical playlist that’s stellar. . Since the pandemic we all have become more concerned about being around multiple people. Read more>>

Daniela Amparano

As a Realtor, I work with sellers and buyers but specialize in REI (Real Estate Investors). I help them meet their Real Estate goals; when I meet first-time investors, not only do I find their first investment property, but I also guide them through the process and explain the Investor lingo (which can be confusing). I work with more seasoned investors, REI who have been investing in real estate for a few years and have very clear/specific goals (CAP rate, cash on cash return, ROI). Read more>>

Kristian Wilson

In the fitness industry my companies Abundant Fitness Gym and Abundant Dance Studios are bridging the gap between fitness, dance, and entertainment. We have an competitive advantage in the marketplace. Read more>>

Jenny Bravo

One thing I do differently than most business individuals is; I bring my little girls with me when I work. I wish it was something more accepted in our culture. Although the beauty of being a business owner is I can do what I want. I understand that I might have clients who choose not to work with me because they don’t like this, but I have found many who are very kind and love having the girls come too. Read more>>

Crystal Tucker

Pawsitive Tails Dog Rescue strives to be different in the rescue community because we aren’t looking to adopt our dogs out quickly, we are truly looking to match the right dog to the right family. We are looking to create furever families. All of our dogs live in foster homes as a member of the family, they live with people of all sizes, other dogs and sometimes cats and other animals! Read more>>

Pam Dimock Kelly Lambert

From day one, we have tried to not jump on the home decor trend bandwagon. We’ve made a few mistakes along the way and veered off the road but we have learned since then to level set, trust our own judgment, and not let naysayers and negativity influence our decisions. We use vintage and antique items as the base of our decor. We feel it’s important to showcase the beauty and sustainability of something vintage. Read more>>