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.

Parker Klein

Most of the industry around notes and personal knowledge management are building very complex, superpowered tools that take a lot of time to set up and maintain. We are building a simple product for the everyday consumer and it shows. We receive messages every day from moms, people with ADHD, students, even grandparents who love the simplicity and values of Twos. We’re approaching the problem of forgetting things at the most basic level and giving people a place to write, remember, and share *things* that they love and use every day. Read more>>

Choua Vang

We’re Cali & Dana, a New York City-based minority women-owned company founded by Choua, Alimou & Dana. Our design philosophy on fit is embedded within all our products, focusing on Curvy Petite customers. In our personal lives, we’ve been disappointed and exhausted time and time again because fashion standards and brands are constantly pumping out useless products where curvy petite women are not even considered, forcing them to just settle. Read more>>

John Weber

The majority of my career has been spent selling and marketing luxury golf community properties. In order to be successful at this we had to perfect lead generation (ie) magazines, direct mail, websites, etc. High-quality branding and marketing were of utmost importance. Traditional real estate in the United States focuses on getting listings. In the late 80’s we moved to Hilton Head Island where I was the Broker-in-Charge of Hilton Head Plantation. When the development sold out, the majority of the agents I was working with stayed on the island and transitioned into general brokerage real estate. I took a job offer in another state once again selling high-end developer sales. Read more>>

Patrick Boylan

Traditional music education relies on students practicing the same songs repeatedly until they’re perfect. The issue with this method is that students can easily become bored and don’t develop universal skills. They can only apply what they’ve learned to the specific songs assigned to them. This is where MuseFlow is changing the game. Read more>>

Yasmine Dabgotra

Scrandie Beauty is all about innovation and no-frill makeup products. We exclusively develop and launch refined versions of products that already exist or are entirely new and have never been done before. The beauty space is highly saturated with products that have existed for decades. At Scrandie, we only want to develop new makeup products people didn’t know they needed. Read more>>

Jordan Perry

As a small business owner I love being able to dive into the data/metrics with my clients and help them see wins and areas for improvements in their business as their marketing partner. A lot of digital ad buyers will more so set it and forget it with ads, but I am ALL in with my clients every step of the way, cheering them on. We look at traffic, how long people are staying on their site, what converts, what doesn’t and make very smart, data-driven decisions and THEN we put fuel on the fire with paid advertising. Read more>>

Christina Mills

BRWN Hair stands out from other hair brands because we not only focused on selling high-quality textured hair extensions, but we prioritizes representation and inclusivity by being black and women-owned. Our mission is to empower and celebrate people of all colors, and our to provide a variety of options that cater to diverse hair textures and styles. Additionally, we are committed to sustainable and ethical business practices, this makes us a socially responsible choice for consumers. Read more>>

Kerrie Rettig-Barker

Yes!! I built my whole business on the basis of building relationships. When I started in this industry, I asked around and a lot of Social Media Managers don’t answer comments on behalf of their clients, but I SURE DO! My motto is “Your brand’s success depends on leveraging your relationships”. I do this for my clients or teach them the right way to accomplish this. You stand out from your competition because of your relationships!!! Read more>>

Blanca Lucia Bergman

There are two things we do differently. My husband and co-vocalist, Jess, and I frequently collaborate with local visual artists for event planning, marketing, song covers, and mutual inspiration. The other thing we do differently is invest considerable time in marketing music releases and shows by our friends from various music genres across our music and business social pages. Poised In The Darkness cares about honoring and promoting San Diego’s music community as a whole. Read more>>

Michael Bly

So normally with photography it’s a point and shoot concept that involves a subject and whatever environment they’re in. The goal is to have a memorable experience in a beautiful setting and capture that moment forever. However my type of photography is light painting and it has the same point and shoot framework except I do one thing differently… Read more>>

Rachel Stroud

At Buffalo + Sparrow Yoga Collective, we do try to break the mold for how yoga and the business of yoga is conducted. One of the things we’ve changed this year is how teachers get paid. It’s true that the large majority of yoga studios don’t or can’t pay teachers what they are worth and/or enough to make it worth the teacher’s time. We were doing the same for a while. Then, we decided to have students pay the teacher’s directly through their payment methods like PayPal and Venmo. Read more>>

Mickiala Williams

When you hear the word “Coupon”, it often makes people cringe and dive into judgement. Judgement of economic failure from that person, or they fit into a specific demographic and overall instant disgust. On social media, I’m known as “The Coupon Genius” and I’m not your typical Couponer. Yes, I go inside the stores and do the traditional price drop at the registers which is what Couponing is, but there is something I do differently in the finance industry. Read more>>

Manifest Body Art Studio

The tattoo industry has changed so much in the last 10 years that everyone is going in different directions. At Manifest Body Art Studio we aim to give our clients a different type of experience. Our goal is to create a judgment-free space where anyone can get a tattoo. Whether you are a lawyer, doctor, grandparent, or young adult, we want you to feel safe and comfortable during your time with us. We strive to create a different experience for those who want something more intimate and tailored to them. Read more>>

Elizabeth Ford

At Covered Wallpaper we sort of buck the old industry standard of wallcoverings being a “to the trade” only product. Meaning that designer wallpapers would need to be purchased through an interior designer or architect. When Covered Wallpaper opened in 2012 one of the main goals was to make wallpaper more accessible and easier to purchase for the average consumer. Read more>>

Ali Acosta

When you have a skin problem arise, whether it be acne or a rash, who is the first person you turn to? A dermatologist. Dermatologist are incredible at so many things but acne or acne related subjects are not one of them. There are very few dermatologists that recognize acne is inherently an internal problem. Read more>>

Nori Morganstein

I have been the Assistant Director and Youth Services Librarian of a Public for 10 years. Not only do a lot of people not understand what my job entails (folks still think I read books all day), but my job has seen so many big changes over the years. My field has grown exponentially in regards to technology, but also local and state politics effect public libraries too, and that never stays the same. Read more>>

Jack Moore

Something I do differently from the industry standard of hot sauce is preserve the living culture in the ferment. We make Black Cap Hot Sauce as a small batch ferment and never cook or pasteurize it, meaning it retains gut-friendly bacteria, and must stay refrigerated. Most hot sauces, even if the label states they are fermented, are usually still cooked after the fermentation process, killing this healthy bacteria in order to be shelf stable. Read more>>

Kayli Kunkel

Our business sells eco-friendly essentials, but as a business, we are also zero-waste! We do this in a few ways. First, we thoroughly audit everything that comes into our store. We request packaging material that’s recyclable. If anything isn’t, we find ways to reuse, up-cycle, or share it with our neighbors who can use it. We have a TerraCycle box for any soft plastics which can’t be recycled. Ultimately as a business we have less than a trash bag of waste every single month. Read more>>

Nadwa Rifai

My name is Nadwa Rifai. I am a Lebanese American artist, TV host, founder, and lead singer of a New York City-based world music band. The style of music that I perform falls under the genre of “world music.” It is a blend of western music, such as jazz, bossa nova, and flamenco, with classical and contemporary Arabic music. My goal with music is to create a cross-cultural dialogue of musical styles from around the world. Read more>>