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.

Scott Bair

As an 80-year Harvard study shows, the greatest indication of whether or not someone will live a happy and healthy life comes down to one thing, and it isn’t your diet–they found it was determined by your close relationships. Because of this, I’ve committed to helping multi-generational families to grow closer with each other. And the way I do this is simple–by prompting them to talk and share more about their experiences and perspectives with each other. With TimeWell, a software company I’ve founded, we’ve made it stupid simple to record stories and share them with others. Read more>>

Niki By

Actually few things we do differently in By Niki Photography Team. First of all we are always available thanks to professional photographers we have on board. And when it comes to photography that’s not quite the usual thing. Another difference is prepared Photography Scenario for our Clients. In it we gather ideas for sessions together with props, outfits, make up recommendations and much more. Our Clients admitted many times they have never seen nothing like that before. Read more>>

Johnny Flores

Pragmatic and direct in my approach, I believe there’s always an answer to address skin concerns without breaking the bank. Affordability from services to products that pack a punch is at the forefront of how I care for clients. The misconception regarding if it’s “expensive” than it must work better is an outdated perception. Most of the active ingredients found in an off-brand skin product are identical to the ones sold in a fancy boutique. Read more>>

Rhonda Noordyk

Eight years ago, I discovered there was a huge gap in financial support for women. It was clear that women going through divorce needed someone on their team. Someone to help guide them through their financials and beyond. Someone to empower them with the education and clarity to make the right decisions. Someone to help them get through to the other side with the lifestyle they deserve, and so much more. Read more>>

Rachel Matz

The structure of our studio is very different than what other places generally do…All of our studio’s weekly yoga classes are donation-based, which I’m really proud of because it’s been a “good-for-all” change for our community- we are accessible to all people, and it’s opened up a model for instructor’s to collect their own earnings, building more rapport with their students and also creating a much higher earning capacity. It’s a norm in the yoga and spiritual entrepreneur world to live a “starving artist” lifestyle, and I believe we came up with a model that breaks that paradigm without being exclusive. Read more>>

Sed Joseph

Yes, StageWing™ is the world’s first online pro audio, lighting, and DJ equipment-sharing community (also dubbed AirBnB and Door Dash of DJ gear). We connect the global DJ community by helping professional DJs generate income and, allowing members to rent gear from a large and diverse pool of verified professional DJ members. Read more>>

Elissa Pace

Owning a business in a saturated industry calls for bucking the standards. One of the biggest challenges is finding ways to customize your clients’ experience in your own personal way. It’s so easy to compare yourself to others in the industry and feel like you’re not doing enough. Being myself, encouraging communication and making a connection with my clients is something I do that I believe is vastly different from the standard. Read more>>

WALTER SEBASTIANI

the difference is that I do the work with passion love!! This profession is my life since I was very young! Once I arrived at the house of a client who had a swimming pool to install his floor and we only had 3 days to finish since on Saturday I had the son’s birthday with my brother Cristian we carried out the installation with an almost perfect tile cleaning finishing on Saturday at 3 am in the morning with our bloody hands and to top it all off a policeman stopped us on the highway for carrying waste and tools covered with plastic tarps which seemed suspicious at the time and two people driving a van in those conditions , The moral is that the difference is always in one, make it, always do your best, no matter the price you charge or the distance, what you should always make is your professionalism and ability to be a true connoisseur of your work.! Read more>>

Ashley Reynolds

Every tan includes complementary blending and finishing powder. Blending with a small brush on areas like hands, feet/ankles, clavicles, knees, and face make the tan look more natural and uniform. Finishing powder is a specially formulated post-tan powder that helps clients feel more comfortable while their tan is developing; the worst part of a spray tan is that you can feel a little ‘sticky’ afterwards. My finishing powder eradicates this issue completely! Read more>>

Alexandra Fischerstrom

As a small business owner in the fashion industry, it is not easy competing with big fast-fashion companies who produce countless different styles and colors (not to mention for very low prices). In a time where there are endless options when it comes to shopping it can be hard to stand out. I think that quality is what sets my brand and garments apart from others. I am a firm believer in quality over quantity. I also believe that sustainability is key. Read more>>

Drew Babb

Yes. Our goal is to achieve the best results possible. We are more thorough and careful in our prep work. We use an aluminum and steel safe chemical stripper to remove powder coatings and paint before sandblasting so we only blast for a final clean and profile. Some shops will use aggressive acids or blasting media to remove coatings quickly but
that can damage the part. Read more>>

Toya Exnicious

I definitely think that our approach to spirituality is one of a kind. Using current (and vintage) hip hop music and artists to help us convey spiritual messages is a fresh approach to teaching & I think it makes learning relatable and fun. Honestly we see this more as artist expression that traditional church or ministry. It’s what makes us unique. Read more>>

Malcolm Smith

True to our trademark tagline “Others Guess, We Test” I’m Malcolm Smith Founder/CEO at Victory Lab Micro-Clean. We are a commercial cleaning company that delivers enhanced hygiene solutions for environments where health is more important than aesthetics. We Clean, Disinfect, and implement continuous proactive protection for the surfaces and air in your facilities. We then deliver proof of facility hygiene to our clients and their facility users via our proprietary public dashboard & client portal. This allows us to deliver visual indicators of facility hygiene regarding microbe levels of surfaces, indoor air quality bio-safety levels, facility capacity and more. Read more>>

Shyla Slavin

Definitely! The biggest issue I personally see with the supplement industry is the lack of high-quality products. The FDA does not monitor the supplement market, so companies can make whatever claims they want without the need to stand behind them. For example, there are many companies that choose to produce probiotics with cheap ‘good’ bacteria strains that have not been included in research or studies and may not provide us with any benefits. Read more>>

Jessica Mantell

At NextGeneration Nutrition, we specialize in providing individualized dietary and lifestyle protocols based on your needs and your specific health goals. In order to highly personalize these programs we offer a variety of specific laboratory testing options to help further evaluate your health status and body functions. Test results can be utilized to better prescribe your nutritional plan and recommended supplements based on your specific results. Through testing we provide bespoke solutions to your nutritional needs. Read more>>

Tyra Ancrum

I am a not simply a business coach, but I am a Christian Business coach. I coach and consult my clients on how to have success while keeping their relationship with God first and placing him in the center. Read more>>

Stephanie Ulloa

I believe in 100% transparency with my clients. Communication is key. My clients know they can reach me whenever they need me and I will do whatever is necessary to help/fix/problem solve. Even if your event is over a year away, I am always available to them Read more>>

Brook Larios

In a fascinating turn of events (aka a pandemic), the industry standard is, in some ways, no more. As a creative turned business owner (creativity still intact, I’ve long bucked industry norms, and am now finding more and more people doing the same. What I love about my line of work is that that it’s based on relationships, creativity and care: care for the details, for clients, for press, for those with whom we partner. Care for our team. I draw the line at the rote, the mundane, the explicable. Read more>>

Shamese Shular

Our stationery style celebrates the ancient stab binding method that began in 14th century China, and later adopted by Japan. Today, there are variations to the original four-hole method that add additional strength and style. Our stationery comes with both versions depending on the size. It is not common to see a stab bound journal when visiting mainstream stationery stores today, and we are pleased to bring a unique option for writers and artists to express themselves. Read more>>

Collin Smith

Over the last 13 years, The Cravory has been rooted here in San Diego and we have served our customers more than 5,000 different cookie flavors. The difference between a Cravory Cookie and any other is that we start with a unique dough, add in unique mix-ins and toppings, and then bake all our cookies at different temperatures. We find that starting a cookie from scratch (vs just adding in toppings like others do) creates the ideal texture and taste for the perfect cookie. Soft in the center, crispy on the edge. We don’t make large cookies that you can’t finish by yourself, but rather 2oz cookies so you can try multiple flavors and share with your family and friends. We will continue to serve San Diego as well as ship our cookies nationwide with passion for the process. Read more>>

Hey SK

The Life Coaching industry is growing rapidly. The topic of self-care has also become part of people lives more and more. Many coaches who speak on the topic of self-care teach surface level self-care. Encourage things like bubble bathes, nails and hair done, reading, and watching TV. Although all those things are nice, it doesn’t help people work on the present issue. Hey SK focuses on supporting our wounded healers with non-traditional transformation techniques to peel back the layers to achieve true transformation. Read more>>