Doing things your way is one of the best parts of being your own boss and when done right seems to be highly correlated with outsized success. So, we wanted to gather real-world examples to shed more light on how the best artists, entrepreneurs and leaders differentiate themselves from others in their respective industries.

Shea James

As a small business owner, it’s always important to understand what sets you apart from either another small business owner or larger company that’s in your field. Having this knowledge can help you land more clients and help you push what really makes your business successful. Read more>>

Mathieu De Villaire

Coming from Canada, we were surprised by how many fast-food places there are in the US and how well they do. Even though we didn’t know much about running a restaurant, we figured if we learned from big fast-food chains, we might have a better chance at success. Read more>>

Stevie Wright

In the coaching space, there’s a large emphasis on mindset work. While I love mindset work, there’s a deeper and more sustainable level of transformation and healing that can happen with somatic work. Somatic literally means, relating with the body. Read more>>

Aidan Sullivan

Fashion is often used as a medium to communicate values and beliefs about the self to the world. My angle is a little different, in that I intend to create pieces that spark recognition of a deeper aspect of self within a person. The pieces are personal. Read more>>

Shaila Ortega

After 13 years in the start-up and corporate world, there was a notable trend: Companies are hyper-focused on finding new customers and automating interactions. This can inadvertently dehumanize the customer experience, leaving clients feeling disconnected and undervalued, which puts companies at risk for inconsistent growth and a bad reputation. Read more>>

Ashley Shafer

DNA Hemp most definitely breaks the mold when it comes to industry standards. First and foremost, WE ARE THE FARMERS! Supporting our brand means that people are supporting our high vibrational healing, where we strive and thrive on cultivating a natural farmacy. Read more>>

LUZ ZAMBRANO

The leather goods manufacturing industry historically waste over 800,000 tons of leather in excess leather and trimmings. I noticed all the factories I visited had a surplus of leather that brands left behind and never tried to use again. Read more>>

Deb Henriksen

Since the conception of my sustainable street brand, Equillibrium, in 1998 – I have not followed conventional fashion brand models which have always focused on a conventional industry standard without mindfulness toward sustainability. Read more>>

Rachel Almanza

With a vision of service, Miss Florida Petite Pageant is more than just a pageant. The Miss Florida Petite Family is a sisterhood that embraces healthy competition and a heart to serve others through our leadership and outreach. Read more>>

Philip Brandes

Non-alc craft beer has traditionally suffered from the stigma of bad taste, uninspired styles, and poor quality. When I started Bravus, I knew I had to change that. So I set out to create an entirely new method of creating non-alc craft beer; one that doesn’t remove the alcohol like everyone else. Read more>>

Creative Contour By Carla

Yes, absolutely there is! I feel that there are a few things I do differently than the makeup artistry industry standard, but the biggest one I do is: be real with my clients. In the beauty world there’s a lot of information constantly in circulation, and not all of it is necessarily true or can apply to everyone, regardless of what influencers say. Read more>>

Nina Marinaro

I am the owner of a law firm & contract template company that specifically serves online entrepreneurs & content creators.One of the common tropes about our legal system is that it is slow-moving & antiquated. While I believe that is true, I also am part of a small percentage of lawyers that have modernized my offers to better serve my clients. Read more>>

Anne Marie Covert

Here at Anne’s Print Shop we take pride in producing our finished products in house. Anything our customers order is crafted here, we do not outsource to a warehouse over seas. We believe this allows for maximum customization and gives us the ability to give accurate estimates as far as time frame. Read more>>

Dominic Bianco

There are huge differences between cutlery brands that have been, and are being manufactured around the world. But to really understand why there are these differences, we first have to take a look at how companies differ and how they produce some of the different products. Read more>>

Adam Wills

I work with clients in the public safety industry, where word-of-mouth marketing plays a significant role and brand messaging is crucial. Many marketing agencies struggle to serve this industry because they lack the background to develop marketing collateral that truly resonates with the target audience. Read more>>

Melissa Froehlich

I think that one of the things that sets me apart from other business strategists or business coaches/consultants is my holistic approach. Clients come to me with challenges, goals, issues, ideas…and interstingtly enough, the “thing” is rarely ever “the thing” meaning that once we dig in and look at the bigger picture, what actually becomes the priority is usually not what the client presented to begin with. Read more>>

Jacinta Gandy

“As the owner and founder of Social Circle, I’ve shaped my business to be much more than just another brand and web design agency. With over 13 years of experience in design, digital marketing, and tech, I bring a comprehensive range of services to the table. Read more>>

Nick Meade

Buying a suit can be a frustrating experience. When we started The Grotto Menswear there were essentially two options when it came to suiting up. You could go the Menswarehouse route and get a cheaply made ill-fitting rental or purchased suit OR you could go with something expensive. Read more>>

Laura Pahules

Control Alt Delete helps people escape from domestic violence situations by removing the barriers that keep them in unsafe and dangerous environments. We provide one time assistance to help Survivors flee in the most vulnerable time of need, as they are actively escaping. Read more>>

Tara Godby

After spending three decades in the corporate world, I made the exciting leap to become a full-time entrepreneur in 2018. I am the proud owner of a coaching and consulting firm named Elan Coaching and Consulting, but my recent passion project has been brewing up something special – a tea brand known as Teakeasy Tea. Read more>>

Maria Del Hoyo

Not just my brand STEM FASHION, but the overall way in which I move through my life and business’s is by creating and mostly collaborating with other brands, small businesses, and movements. Everything I do is community based or with the purpose of service to others. Read more>>

Stacy Porto

As a lawyer, I am automatically different than most realtors. I have a love of negotiating and creative thinking outside the box. In 2008, I served the White House as a civil rights lawyer and logistics coordinator for the Obama Administration. Read more>>

Shari Trahan

I believe what we do that differs from the industry standard can be quite counterintuitive at times in an industry where the emphasis is placed on results, i.e. money. Rather than focusing on the money, which we recover lots of, we have chosen to focus on the emotional element of the practice area. Read more>>