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.

Kim Ortiz

To be successful in the photography industry with so many new photographers entering the industry due to the ease of digital cameras and low barrier to entry, the photographer must first understand the business of photography. The challenge is most new photographers don’t understand how to run a profitable business and often start their business with a business model that does not sustain their business for the long term because they charge so little for their services. They don’t price for profit and think that charging a few hundred dollars for a portrait session for 30 minutes and include all the digital photos to the client is a great business model. This is often someone who does photography on the side and doesn’t have an actual studio or over head. Read more>>

Gabrielle Clay

One of the defining aspects of Studio 14 by Gabrielle is our commitment to crafting an entirely bespoke experience for each client. While the photography industry often leans into standardized packages and rapid turnaround times, I diverge by focusing on a deeply personalized, luxury experience that begins long before the camera clicks. Read more>>

Chris Mathews

What sets us apart from competitors is our user-first approach—we prioritize community engagement, AI-driven insights, and rewarding participation rather than just maximizing house profits. While most platforms focus on taking a cut of every bet, we help users make smarter picks with AI analytics, earn rewards through referrals, and engage with friends through unique game modes like 50/50 betting. We’re not just another sportsbook—we’re building a better way to play, bet, and win together. Read more>>

Krisi Olivero

Alter Eco Farms produces biological soil amendments, which regenerate soil and break the cycle of additive fertilizers that so many farmers and gardeners have become trapped by. We fix your soil, for good.

When you purchase a bag of compost at a commercial store you are bringing home decomposed organic matter, and maybe some added nutrient supplements. The product will work for a time and then eventually break down into your soil and the nutrients will begin to fade. Next season you will do it again. You will continue to give your soil nutrients as you would give yourself supplemental vitamins. Read more>>

Emily Mcclure

Fundraising in the nonprofit world can feel like a never-ending cycle of raising money, needing to raise more money, and ever-growing budgets spurring the need to raise even more money. My career in the industry shifted when I finally realized that the scarcity mindset would never serve me in my life, and I had to get change my mindset and create a new path forward – a path filled with abundance and joy. Read more>>

Jasmin Closson

At Juniper Marketing, we break away from the traditional, fully online marketing agency model by immersing ourselves in the local business community. We don’t just offer digital services—we actively show up to support business owners, providing hands-on mentorship and strategic guidance.

In 2024, this commitment led us to work closely with nonprofits and local entrepreneurs. For example, we played an integral role in structuring the marketing plan for a pitch competition, working alongside participants from the initial planning stages through to the event itself. Our involvement didn’t stop at strategy—we were there in person, mentoring entrepreneurs, offering guidance, and ensuring they had the tools to confidently showcase their businesses. Read more>>

Tanisha Frazier

One of the ways I set myself apart in the modeling industry is by fully embracing and celebrating my identity as a plus-size, darker skinned African-American model. While the industry has made strides in diversity, there are still rigid beauty standards that often exclude or limit opportunities for models who look like me. Instead of conforming to outdated industry norms, I’ve built my brand around authenticity, confidence, and representation, proving that plus-size models belong in bridal campaigns, editorials, and major runways just as much as anyone else. Read more>>

Alexandra Mcclung

What sets my esthetics practice at Aura apart, and something I am very passionate about, is a commitment to nourishing my clients skin through quality natural products and a holistic approach. That means diving into health and lifestyle factors alongside skincare to understand what needs their skin is communicating. I’ve heard too many clients complain of painful or harsh experiences getting facials that made them averse to skincare. My goal is always first and foremost to create a deeply relaxing service for my client. If they’re in that parasympathetic mode, they’re going to reap the greatest benefit from their treatment. I believe that in using high-quality natural products and holistic modalities such as lymphatic drainage, buccal massage, and cupping, we give the clients skin and nervous system what they need to thrive. Read more>>

Brea Woodson

Most marketing companies and agencies exist to take marketing tasks off a business owner’s plate—a valuable service that can make a huge difference. However, when I started freelancing, I quickly discovered a large subset of businesses that weren’t quite ready to outsource their marketing. Some hesitated due to cost, while others simply wanted to learn how to do it themselves. Read more>>

Alexis Bowen

Though we know there are many sea moss companies, there’s only ONE Heavenly Sea Moss Kreations. As the CEO and Founder of Heavenly Sea Moss Kreations, I have seen the miraculous power of prayer in my personal life and I wanted to ensure that my customers experienced the same in theirs. One of the things that we do at Heavenly Sea Moss Kreations is pray over our products. One of our slogans is “Sea Moss+Jesus=US”. Many of our customers have taken sea moss before and tell us of their prior experiences. However, after taking our Sea Moss, they talk about how they can tell the difference in their health like never before. From doctor’s reports changing to physically seeing people have more energy and tap into their KREATIVE side has been such a joy to see. Read more>>

Summer Hall

While many studios focus on larger group classes, Pilates Centered emphasizes private or semi-private sessions to provide truly individualized instruction. This personalized touch ensures clients not only achieve their fitness goals but also are cared for in their individual movement needs, everyone has different compensations etc. We emphasize the classical Pilates principles of coordinated breath and precise movement, helping clients connect their mind and body to improve alignment, control, and overall well-being. By setting ourselves apart from the industry standard, we’ve positioned ourselves as leaders in creative, inclusive and above all, SAFE fitness programming. Read more>>

Bagus W, Ruswandi

For most of my career, success has meant putting clients on the right path—lining things up, pushing boundaries, and getting creative with goals. It was always about asking, “How far can we take this?” So when I decided to step into entrepreneurship, I had to ask myself: What’s the problem I actually care about?

Urban loneliness stood out to me immediately. New York is filled with people, yet it’s one of the loneliest places to be. And the thought that came to my mind was simple: Maybe we wouldn’t feel so divided if we could just get lunch together every day. That was my aha moment—the realization that food could be more than just nourishment or entertainment. It could be the starting point for connection. Read more>>

Carole Bright-alvarez

Oftentimes when Americans think of a “Tea House” we harken back to the familiar British approach “tea time”: white table clothes, intricate finger foods, crustless sandwiches, ornate porcelain teapots, milk and sugar.

We take tea presentation back further to its’ real roots in China, India, Taiwan, Japan, & Sri Lanka. Our environment can be described as Asian contemporary, with bamboo table tops and black accent shelving. Read more>>

Thomas Self

It is said that the future world harvests are numbered due to decades of severe topsoil degradation. And while the varying lifespan predictions for our topsoil remain controversial, it is quite clear that we’ve become very poor stewards of our lands. The centralization and scaling up of agriculture have led to the wide adoption of farming and ranching practices that reduce near-term harvest risks and reduce labor at the expense of the health of our soil and the true quality of our harvests. Agricultural practices such as excessive monocropping, extreme pesticide and herbicide use, excessive use of synthetic fertilizers, over-tillage, low-supervision grazing plans, and over-reliance on pharmaceutical products, have all become the norm at large-scale farms and ranches all over the world. These practices were born of incentive structures that reward quantity over quality, and near-term profitability over longevity, and they are clearly putting our future harvests at risk. Read more>>