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.

Rosalie Kicks

MovieJawn is a quarterly print movie publication and website where movies are all that matter. Each quarterly print issue features a theme and our staff writers interpret that theme as they see fit sharing their thoughts on movies of various eras. On our website, MovieJawn.com we post reviews and feature articles on a daily basis.

I believe something that sets us apart from larger publications is that we are not corporate backed. Instead our publication is fully reader supported through donations, patron subscription and sales through our website and at events. Read more>>

Fatma Wahedi

At Young Explorers, we’ve intentionally built a space that goes beyond the traditional toy store model, redefining what a toy store can be. Unlike big-box retailers that focus purely on transactions, we create a community-driven space where families play, create, and connect through hands-on experiences. Read more>>

Micah Furtick

One of the major facets of any photographer’s brand is their creative style and how they edit their photos. My style has some flexibility and is more based on the individual and the style of their shoot. One major difference in my editing style when compared to other photographers is that I only color edit my photos. While not necessarily the industry standard, the vast majority of photographers (especially newer ones) make adjustments to client’s skin, weight, and hair to make them look better in a photo. Personally, I have always preferred the natural look and that is reflected in my photography. While I am all about making my clients look good in their photos, I avoid making any of those adjustments. Instead, I focus on capturing the most flattering angles during the shoot so that I can eliminate any request for those adjustments in the first place. Read more>>

Madison Vaccaro & Andrew Norouzian

What sets Flowing Well Tree Farm apart is our dedication to growing hard-to-find and large native plants—a rarity in the industry. Unlike many online plant retailers that source from multiple suppliers, we grow everything locally, from seed, propagation, and tissue culture, ensuring that our plants are truly adapted to thrive in Florida’s unique landscape. Read more>>

Nicole Green

Absolutely. Robert Hall & Associates is not your typical, cookie-cutter tax firm. For one, we offer a broader range of services than most tax firms. But beyond that, our client base sets us apart. We work with small and medium-sized business owners, entrepreneurs in newly developed industries, and individuals whose financial journeys have taken unexpected turns. For example, we help content creators who’ve gone from making $30,000 at a retail job to earning millions through platforms like TikTok and YouTube. Read more>>

Whitney Jennings

Most companies standardize their brand’s sizing according out an outdated, World War 2-era, non-inclusive idea of the average woman’s body measurements. But there’s a gap between this 1940s standard and today’s reality of American women. If you’re a woman 5’9″ or taller, the gap becomes a chasm. Read more>>

Zachary Miller

The most helpful mindset for improving my work has been to see myself as an artist rather than a subcontractor or stone mason. When you think of your work as being just another cog in the construction wheel, it can feel tedious. Looking at yourself as an artist – that encourages experimentation. It gives freedom to stray from that which is normal in order to find something that really catches peoples attention. Read more>>

Alexa Pettit

I’m a gratuity free hairstylist, which is definitely not the norm, but I think it’s a slowly growing trend. Traditionally hairstylists have been tipped, since we often were commission based employees, and only getting paid a small portion of the money we were bringing into the salon. As the industry shifts to more stylists being self-employed, and managing their own profits, I don’t think tipping should be the norm. In my opinion, if hairstylists want clients to respect and see value in our pricing- we need to be setting it based on our overhead costs and our labor/time, and stop expecting clients to tell us our value with their tips. Read more>>

Jurnee Shields

I similar story I hear when people start getting their nails done is the lack of care and education people get.
They are telling me they have had nail techs that cut them, don’t know how to do art, are putting dangerous products on their nails, rushing the process and also not telling their customer what they are putting on them. Absolutely blows my mind. My goal is to have everyone that comes to me know what I’m putting on their nails, how to take care of their nails, and to be listened to and respected.
And also making them have beautiful art on their nails is an honor. Read more>>

Autumn Enoch

Core to my mission is diverting from the status quo! In PR specifically, a lot of agencies are stuck in the past, pitching traditional media outlets, for legacy media companies, and it’s not enough in today’s evolving media landscape. Simply put, people are getting their news from social media, newsletters and influencers more than traditional news outlets and mediums (magazines, newspapers, news sites). Read more>>