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.

Dilene Allen

When it comes to real estate in Dallas, we believe in the power of personalization. Every client has a unique set of needs, and it’s our mission to meet them where they are. Read more>>

Cecee Marie

When it comes to skin care it can “defined” several ways. Routine, skin health and complete understanding of anatomy all play a part. Breakout, dry skin or hyperpigmentation is one thing, but what is the true cause? Does your Esthetician or Dermatologist get to the root of the problem?? When it comes to my clients I ask questions as it relates to life’s and preference. Read more>>

Jacquelyn Ritz

I both do act and teach acting. It gives me a greater understanding of what an artist really needs to thrive. And that need is very individual, so it must come from their own sense of creativity. I hope I empower them to discover the kind of artist they want to be and how to tell that story. Read more>>

Joe Moxley

Moxley Media – Make Some NOISE… Anchor Valley Wine – Challenge Conformity Read more>>

Rick Saffeels

Have you ever felt like your local business or personal brand isn’t getting the attention it deserves? In a world filled with digital noise, standing out in your local community can be a real challenge. That’s where we come in, offering a unique approach to solving the problem of being seen by your local target audience. Read more>>

Kari Granger

In my years of experience, both in the military and in the corporate world, I’ve come to recognize a fundamental truth: the most successful organizations are those that seamlessly integrate leadership, culture, and strategy. At The Granger Network, we’ve built our consultancy around this core principle. Read more>>

Michael Fishman

Maverick differs from the industry standard by giving the power to the independent physical therapist and trainer. We allow these independent professionals run their own businesses by providing them top quality space and equipment and offering services that help them grow (ex: securing them partnerships and helping them hire employees). Read more>>

Nathan GIllen

While I was doing research on the moving industry prior to starting, I found many criticisms, but a repeated frustration was the addition of undisclosed extra fees and charges to the final bill. Companies charging for things like long walk fees, stair fees (per stair), equipment and fuel surcharges, and plenty more. None made aware to the customer until it came time to pay. I found this completely unacceptable, unethical, and in a legally grey area at best. Read more>>

Jillian Clark

I founded Roboro specifically to change the way things are done in the fashion industry. Fashion is the second most polluting industry in the world, with oil being the number one most polluting global industry. An industry that has such a devastating global impact is not an efficient, effective, modern or (arguably) profitable industry, and therefore opens itself up to opportunity and innovation. Read more>>

Utibe` Bassey

Love as a KPI is the relatively terse expression that is resultant of nearly 20 years of work experience across industries, functions and geographies, personal observations, learnings, challenges and clear conviction. Read more>>

Jenifer Sutherland

Landjuicery offers raw, organic, cold pressed juices. Organic produce is generally more expensive than conventional produce, therefore, while there are juice companies that offer organic, this is not standard. I think companies that start out with the intention of all organic realize that cost needs to be cut somewhere and they often stray to conventional produce. When drinking juice as a health measure, you really want to be consuming organic. Read more>>

Courtney Poulos

I created ACME Real Estate in 2011 to fill a void in our industry — founding a female-fronted, quality not quantity real estate brokerage focused on talent development and not facts and figures. I was inspired to reinvent the boutique experience for buyers and sellers in Los Angeles at ANY price point, and create a marketing mechanism that focuses on editorial campaign and public relations more than the standard one-size-fits-all photos and MLS printouts type of listing representation (which was the acceptable norm at the time). Read more>>

Catherine Lang-Cline

Building your career by working for large and small companies is the best education you can gift yourself. After about 15 years of doing that, Kristen Harris and I chose to start a business based on what we learned and by not doing a number of the things that we experienced. We both had long careers in marketing and wanted to fill the gap we saw regarding finding great marketing talent that fit your budget and giving the talent the rates they deserved in a position where they would thrive. Read more>>

Harleny Vasquez

My journey as a First-Gen individual has shaped my perspective on the public service field in a profound way. With over a decade of experience as a licensed social worker, my path was far from conventional. I faced numerous challenges, including the struggle to pass my licensure exam and the burden of imposter syndrome. These experiences taught me a critical lesson: the importance of self-love and self-advocacy in defining one’s identity and path to success. Read more>>

Lauren Rich

I don’t do cookie-cutter. I make magic. Read more>>

Christina Cox Lucca

We offer 2 planning services, full & month of coordination, design, florals packages. We can customize a package that works best for the client’s event. We feel we should be “All in” no matter which package our client, or couples choose. With our Month of we start assisting our clients 6 months from their date as most professionals start 6 weeks prior. Read more>>

Matt Peters

At Search Manipulator, we provide guarantees. Our industry does not typically provide such guarantees. Our clients hire us for suppression of an article or review, or removals of that article or review. Read more>>

Marissa Prata

In 2021 I created a unique idea to set singles up on blind dates, and photograph the experience. The idea went viral on TikTok, and I received thousands of applications of people looking to participate in the experience. Dating today can be challenging and impersonal with the use of dating apps, and I was thrilled that so many people were willing to participate. Read more>>

Kahli Gibson

Here at Fiction we really strive for a positive one on one interaction. We are working with peoples faces, which is a serious thing, and we take it as so! We aim for quality over quantity as well. It super important that our clients have an individualized appointment to create their desired look they feel confident in. Read more>>

Nicole Vlietstra

I feel I am different than industry standard because I formulate all of my own recipes and use only natural/organic/clean/vegan ingredients. Alot of similar companies use premade bases and add fragrance and dye. I don’t do any of those things. I have even created my own bases from scratch. Read more>>

Christy Robertson

At Sing Hat Company, we make small batch and custom beaver felt hats. Everything is made with the highest quality beaver felt in the industry. We allow hats to dry on the block at least 24 hour which allows for the felt to shrink and cure to the block. This ensures a dry crown for pouncing. Read more>>

Danielle Spangler

I have been in the fitness industry for over 30 years. When I opened my own Pilates studio almost 5 years ago, my goal was to create something of a unique environment uncommon for boutique fitness studios. I recognized that Pilates studios might feel intimidating to new clients and wanted everyone to feel welcomed, connected, and involved, so I created a laid-back vibe at the studio which has a very different feel to a standard Pilates studio. Read more>>

Carol Miltimore

I built Seek Collective by setting up a supply chain that went completely against the industry norm. It has made things at times a lot harder, more expensive, and more time consuming but ultimately I feel it’s worth it. When it comes to the fashion/apparel industry designers are either passing off their desires to a factory who sources everything for them and/or they are purchasing fabric from a mill, which usually has large minimums. Read more>>

Alex Floyd

love this question. Since I was young, I always wanted to be different, to stand out. I find the quest to be unique quite rewarding. Since I started traveling internationally in my 20s, I thought there was a “way to do it” and that way meant you had to have a lot of money. When I started traveling, I was working several part time jobs just earning enough to pay my rent and then a little bit. Read more>>

Jeid Lewis-Jolley Hunter

Certainly! Here’s a revised version of your interview answer: Read more>>

Steph Kines

When you search the words Newborn Photography you will find countless studio images of new life wrapped, swaddled and propped and yes, it is adorable, but as care giver, auntie and lover of babies, something deeper was missing for me. I kept searching for what that missing piece was and after hours of portfolio sessions and building and experimenting I realized that I wanted to give a more true=to-life representation for parents to hold onto. The burping, the feeding, the gentle passing of their baby, the soothing, the slices of their life that will soon get buried under first steps, and first words, and school activities. Read more>>

Avery Swail

Transparency in the creative industry is something I have always stood behind. It’s been a long road of isolation in the photography industry and its time to change the way. My purpose is to help women, and also men, in the industry by being transparent and vulnerable with my story and sharing what I know. Read more>>

Jaylan Parent-Ongel

At Just Skin by Jaylan, I focus on the health of my client’s skin overall. I don’t focus on upselling a more expensive treatment, I don’t encourage trendy TikTok skincare hacks, and I certainly don’t upsell $150 moisturizers. The industry is so quick to upsell, fib, push product, etc. and that just isn’t in my heart. Read more>>

Meghan Marsala

Yes, absolutely, and this is a great question! As a floral industry professional I have become quite familiar with the standards and “norm” for custom floral arrangements. With Hollywood at the forefront for most floral needs here in LA, often times flower installations are created for a one-time use and they do not have a long life to fully be enjoyed and appreciated. Sadly, I have seen often that flowers have become very disposable in this industry. Read more>>

Chandani Kohli

 

Cookies are an “every person” food with no class barrier and they are a trusted pantry staple. You’ll find them as tea time companions, a buttery, sugar fix or an energy boost. While there is a long list of favourite cookie flavours and heritage assortments (think: Italian biscotti, French sable, British Shortbread), there is little to no presence of Indian cookies in the Western market. Read more>>

Phillip Abraham (and Leah Bateman)

PHILLIP: Leah and I started working together when the pandemic hit and we had nothing to do but pull the trigger on that feature film idea I’d been tossing around for a while. She’s a brilliant singer, we’re both actors, and I’m kind of a Swiss Army knife of film production skills. So we decided to just make this film – a musical drama called WHERE WERE YOU – ourselves. Read more>>

Savannah McGovern

Our company was actually intentionally built to stand out. In a sea of wedding planners who constantly churn out traditional weddings with traditional colors (that are gorgeous as well, no doubt!), we wanted to work with clients who aren’t afraid of designing a day that’s weird and unique. We love to work with kitschy designs, funky themes, and our favorite – dark, gothic affairs. Read more>>

Fiore Tedesco

My partner Adam and I opened L’Oca d’Oro together in 2016. We had a pretty idea of what we were and apprised to be from a food & beverage perspective but what what most clear to us was that we wanted to make a labor model that fully embraced our team as a group professionals that would offer a workplace and benefits that you would often see in most industries outside of hospitality. Read more>>