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.

Scott Ingenito

As the owner and chef of Sweet Devil Culinary I get the unique opportunity to serve my clients the way that they not only deserve, but the way that they expect. Bringing the restaurant to their venue for them and having the menu be exactly what they want to enhance the event overall. This matters because the standard across the country for catered food is low, we make sure we are providing the best, most fresh local ingredients and going above and beyond for our clients. Read more>>

Liana Burgoyne

My dog training business, while often sought out for obedience and behavior modification in Washington, DC, also specializes in canine fitness. We use bodyweight exercises and balance equipment to strengthen muscles, prevent injury, prevent chronic disease, reduce anxiety, and increase quality of life for dogs all over the world. We offer virtual private lessons so your dog can get fit from the convenience of your own home with little to no equipment. Read more>>

Kim Moffat

We are lowering the barrier of entry into politics. Our board isn’t made up entirely of lifelong organizers, Instead, it represents the majority of voters – people who care deeply about the future of their community and country and are working to make a difference while fitting that into the rest of their lives. Read more>>

J. Dwayne Garnett

At Love Is A Parable, a non-profit organization, we take pride in diverging from the industry standard by placing a profound emphasis on the integration of value-based education and togetherness into all aspects of our operations and outreach. Unlike traditional business models that often prioritize profit and efficiency above all else, our approach is rooted in the belief that genuine connections and emotional well-being are the foundations of lasting success and positive change. Read more>>

Tameshia Effinger

Yes , I am a Hair loss Alopecia Braider . Which means I braid hair where there is none. A lot of braiders are not engaged in doing this technique Read more>>

Chase Kreitzer

Since we are on a smaller scale, we don’t buy our ingredients in huge bulk quantities. Instead, we’re grocery shopping 2, 3, sometimes 4 times a week gathering different cheeses, meats, etc. from various markets and stores so everything stays extremely fresh! We make all of our charcuterie boards to order and are able to tailor more to our customer base to fit their needs. We participate in various markets throughout the year which allows us to interact with the community on a more personable manner than a corporation may be able to. Read more>>

Josh Levin

At Marquette, we treat our social media differently than many other programs. The main emphasis on our accounts is culture. Culture is king! Everything we do, we want to tie it back to the way the program is run and our values. Many teams approach their accounts simply from the perspective of what will get the most engagement. So for us, it has been a fun and interesting challenge to figure out how we can achieve both of those things simultaneously. Read more>>

Tito Mayorquin

There are three main ways our businesses differ from the event bar industry standard: #1 – The drinks themselves. One main industry standard is store bought syrups and juices that are cheap and laden with sugar and preservatives. Works great if the goal is just to give people a palatable buzz (not to mention it cuts corners on money and time spent prepping). But intoxication and checking “bar provided” off the event check list is not our goal. I work to craft my cocktails to invoke the experience at your favorite artisan bar. Read more>>

Andrew Sachs

Mauloa structures its investments differently, the exact opposite, in the following 5 ways: 1) No control. Unlike most PE firms, Mauloa makes non-control investments, perfectly content owning less than 50% of the equity and not having the ability to throw management out. Kevin O’Connor, co-owner of O’Connor Plumbing, said, “Mauloa’s refreshing approach to growth capital allows us to maintain control of the company while leveraging their operational expertise and formidable network, in order to make a great community business even better.” Read more>>

Alison Hall

In general, the architecture and construction industry is a male-dominated space. It’s changing, but there are still strides to be made. As a young wife and mother, I wanted to create spaces for other women and their families. Spaces that were aesthetically pleasing, but also WORKED. While I would ask for images about what the clients wanted to see from their new space, I also asked questions on how they live and what their needs are. Where do you park your car? What door do you come in every day? How many kids do you have, or do you want? Read more>>

Christina Henao

Oh Surprise and Emotions make the difference in the surprise gift industry… we don’t just offer a surprise breakfast… we bring emotions, feelings, we open hearts and we remember every day that love exists, that small details make big differences; that what was experienced in the old days is still the most important thing to surprise and show those how much we love them. Read more>>

Rose Generazio

I worked in a lot of big box custom frame shops. One of the things that has always bothered me about these places is that a lot of them send your work off location. I also have always thought it was so odd that people would drag their art work to these stores and look at their art under these awful over head LED lights. I came up with the concept of “mobile” custom art framing to help people not only save a huge amount on custom framing but also be able to see their work with frame samples in a more realistic setting (example : in their home or office ). Read more>>

Randy Wyner

I think what makes us unique is our food, experience, and service. We offer 3rd generation authentic recipes, we have original art and great music that sets the vibe, and we also take pride in exceptional service. We’re all about that authentic, customizable experience. At Chronic Tacos, you get to build your meal exactly how you want it. Once, a customer walked in with a super specific dietary restriction. Our team went above and beyond to create a custom taco that fit her needs. Read more>>

Taylor Cotter

When you really think about someone’s wedding, it becomes an extremely difficult dream to live up to. There are cliches like “I’ve been dreaming about this day since I was little!” Couples will drop thousands of dollars on their perfect wedding and it can be really hard as a vendor trying to live up to the extremely high and emotional bar that couples set. Because of this, it’s extremely common to hear talk among wedding professionals about “drawing clear and obvious lines” for couples about what your services do and do not include. Read more>>

Brady DeWitt

One of the biggest problems I see in the online guitar education space is people are fantastic at putting together loads on content and leaving those bits of information out in space to not be applied. I find that students never have a system or an understanding of how they get to where they want to go. My course was founded on the understanding the systems any guitar player would need in order to be successful, while giving them clear and easy-to-digest video content. Read more>>

George Karalexis

Donna and I founded Ten2 Media because we identified a significant gap in how labels and distributors were managing YouTube, leaving substantial revenue and growth potential untapped for their artists. We strategically designed our business and model to deliver best-in-class services, tools, and processes that empower our clients—artists, labels, and distributors—to maximize their presence and revenue on the platform. Read more>>

Jodi Sanchez

As a rule, the interior design/home styling/personal styling world is one of luxury, and for good reason! Having the ability to allocate finances to beautifying your home or updating your personal look is an enormous privilege. Soon after starting in this industry I realized that while I got to spend my days at design centers surrounded by immeasurable artistry and beauty, creating the most striking mood boards for clients consisting of high end products and materials… Read more>>

Lauren Erickson

Marketing is something that everyone needs but no one wants to do, especially when it comes to their book, brand, and/or business. It seems there’s a new trend, a new social platform, or a new standard to meet every other week, and with the ten million other items you have on your agenda, it’s no surprise that marketing often falls to the bottom. But what many folks fail to recognize (no doubt due to overwhelm and overstimulation) is that marketing is simply an opportunity to offer genuine value. Read more>>

Jayida Diamondzlove

At “The Serenity Step Up Program and Age Out House,” we are committed to doing just that by offering a deeply personal and holistic approach to supporting those in need. I, Jayida DiamondzLove, have taken the first steps to open this program, which is dedicated to children who are getting ready to leave foster care or are no longer eligible for foster care services, as well as young adults who are battling substance use, rape, molestation, domestic violence, and more.  Read more>>