Doing things differently often leads to outsized results and so we connected with some of the most inspiring leaders and trailblazers we know and asked them to go into detail about what they do differently relative to others in their industry.

CJ Monét

My art practice is different than the standard in that I combine music and art in my work. A large part of my work up to this point has actually been creating portraits completely out of the lyrics to that artist’s songs. As I have evolved over time, I began creating my own music. For me visual art and music are still both art, just two different mediums touching two different senses.  Read more>>

Keysha Danner

Some couples search for artist to come preform hair and make up services the day of, and then there are those that want a more luxurious experience. I offer beyond that. I have worked weddings for 10 years, and in the last 3 years I’ve focused more on elopements. I have learned that I love serving couples in a more intimate setting. Being able to be there for the couple in more ways than just hair is so much more fulfilling for me. I love being able to help step in as a Maid of honor when the Bride doesn’t have anyone there for her. Read more>>

Emmy Jeffries

The pricing model I have is definitely not “industry standard”. Designers typically make a profit on two pricing models: charging hourly or flat fee coupled with selling products like furniture, artwork, decor, etc. Most businesses can purchase furnishings at a discount but they then turn around and add a markup to anything sold to the client. I’ve seen firms charge anywhere from 30% all the way to 2.5x the price of an item. In my opinion it leaves the client at a disadvantage with a jaded view of what they’ve paid for. Read more>>

Kelly Josberger

Stumpy’s Hatchet House is not just a place to throw axes. Our tagline is “The Social Throwdown” and our focus is on bringing people together in a beautiful, rustic environment to play and make memories. In addition to learning the skill of hurling an axe, we have other simple (non technology) games like giant Jenga (we call it the Social Falldown game), Stumpuck (our version of Slap Puck), table shuffleboard, and more. Read more>>

Bryan Aleman

When I’m photographing a wedding, a couple, anybody, I like to give them something unique; something that will stand out forever. I go for the natural expression of emotions and try to capture them with creative and artistic shots. When you one of my collections, you can tell it’s something different, you don’t see the regular every day wedding photos or portraits that any photographer can give you. Read more>>

Emily Hopcian

I started freelancing full-time as a writer, editor and content producer while living outside the U.S. (in Argentine Patagonia). As I forged a career path in the outdoor and adventure travel industries (primarily working with brands and publications in North America and Europe), I came to understand, appreciate and embrace the importance of sharing truly local stories from different corners of the world—especially those celebrated by these industries—and have enjoyed the process of also collaborating with local creatives to tell and share meaningful stories. Read more>>

Toby Jacobs-Mijolovic

I don’t think there’s an industry standard because the Luxury Picnic “industry” is still so new. However, Picnique315 prides itself in curating a unique luxury picnic package each time-meaning, no two Picniques are ever alike. No cookie cutter designs here! Each piece of China and all coordinating decor is thoughtfully chosen for every Picnique. Read more>>

Suzanne Grande

I set out many years ago to create a true spa experience for the dogs. I looked at my industry and realized that may of the common practices were actually scary for some dogs. I looked at human salons, and pictured a what a person would think, if the common practices in a pet salon were done to them or around them. I worked very hard to create an environment where pets would feel truly safe and able to have that spa experience. Read more>>

Makenna Cook

As it becomes more and more clear how important social media marketing is more and more companies are investing their money and time into learning algorithms or hiring out help. Through growing up and working in the tight-knit community of White Bear Lake, Minnesota I noticed that many small business owners and boutiques were falling behind on this while bigger corporations were taking huge strides in marketing their products or services on social media. Read more>>

Jon Deli

I was the first channel to share my losses on a consistent basis. I first came in and all i saw were wins and jackpots. I wanted to show people the reality of gaming especially at the high limit level. I also provide commentary from start to finish. I use movie quotes, sarcasm and comedic banter, therefore there are no dead spins. Read more>>

Mandi Lee

I am a completely request only food company. I do not work off menus, I make custom dishes for each person. I find this keeps my creativity flowing. It also allows me to build my skill set. Read more>>

Domonique Gadson

I feel that in the general fashion industry, the average sized woman in America is underrepresented in a global perspective. On runways and in the fashion industry things have begun to open up a bit but there is still a misunderstanding. When you walk into most retailers, the clothing in the mid to plus size departments are not very appealing. My quest is to make the underrepresented woman in America visible and make her look GOOD when she is seen. Read more>>

Chris Damianakos

As we move forward as a creative game endevor for the past 22 Seasons are goal is always to re-invent ourselves and our product. By doing this our game experiecne is not predicatable because outside of new clients we also have many repeat clients..so we never want to rehash the same experience they once had playing in one of our previous seasons. We keep up with new ideas and technologies to take advantage on those avenues and imbed them into our experiences. Read more>>

Rick Moore

We are a little different here at Adept Motions compared to your typical digital marketing company. Other digital marketing companies try and take on as many clients as possible even if the clients are in the same industry. The problem with this is that you cannot dominate one single area for 2 companies in the same industry, it has to 1 or the other. Read more>>

Simon Needle

If there is one thing that I believe in it’s the ethics of transparent business practice. In fact, when I entered the workforce I found it surprising that this wasn’t the norm. The norm, as it were, was overcharging clientele and underpaying employees. It is, frankly, exploitative to do business this way. It’s not that administrative staff shouldn’t be supported by income earned through their employee’s labor. Company structure often dictates hearty margins like these in order to sustain a business long-term. Read more>>

marcello perez

I take pride in instilling an old value that has been lost in recent years. This is to place my clients needs first. In this day and age, business owners neglect to take the time to sit down with their clients and listen to their needs. My creativity stems from the story my clients tell me. My passion to create something new and exciting for my clients provides me the motivation to come up with innovative ways to showcase their business or event. Read more>>

King Royal

I never focus on what the industry is doing. That could also be the reason why it took my music longer to get popular. I’m not rapping about all the same content that you hear on the radio. How can you ever expect to stand out if you’re always doing what everyone else is doing? I’ve always been a leader. I do what I want without having to follow trends. I encourage all upcoming artists to do the same. People get so caught up in what’s popular and end up going down a road that that can’t turn back on. I’m always pushing my team to be themselves and proud of who they are. Read more>>

Maria Natalia Comerci

Each of my cakes are customized in both flavors and design. I have not made two cakes alike. Usually the customer brings the theme and I share different ideas. We talk about them and then decide which one is better for the event. One of the changes that I brought to the market is the use of cold porcelain. It is commonly used in my country (Argentina) and it allows you to keep treasure the decorations for ever. Read more>>

Joquina Reed

Dr. Janice Gassam Asare reports, “DEI as a field/industry saw a sharp rise in interest following the murder of George Floyd. CNBC reported in January of 2020 that demand for diversity and inclusion professionals was expected to rise. Prior to 2020, the #MeToo movement had led to more discussions about gender equity and the ways that misuse of power manifests. Then came the pandemic and the killing of George Floyd; the focus became racism, anti-blackness, and the specific harms that the Black community has faced.” Read more>>

Ryan Lilly

In many entrepreneur ecosystems there is support for early stage startups, but little-to-no help for second-stage growth companies trying to scale-up. That’s where we step-in. We define a second stage company as one with 10+ employees and $1 million+ in established annual revenue. While we work with many tech companies founded here in the U.S., we have become known for how well we serve international tech companies expanding to the U.S. market. We currently serve 37 of these clients from 11 different countries. Read more>>

Leigha McDonald

At LINK × LOU, we show our support for other local businesses across all of our markets by partnering with brands that align with our ethos and shared clientele. Through partnership, we are able to collaborate to host events within the community to bring people together & create a special event, shopping party, fundraiser, or celebration. For many of our customers, getting Linked is an experience or a memory to commemorate a special person or event in their life. Read more>>

T. I.

When it comes to mainstream sports analysts and talking heads, they typically have one goal in mind… to feed their own agenda. In a world over saturated with misguided machismo and inflated egos, the voice of the people is often lost in the noise. That’s where the Titans Idiot Nation comes into play. Molding itself as a brand of the people, the members of the Titans Idiot Nation know that they can count on us to provide honest takes on not only their favorite team, the Tennessee Titans, but also the sports industry as a whole. Read more>>

Ashley Pelham

Often times in the cake business, there is this all too common complaint that cakes look better than they taste. I am sure you have heard this before at one event or the next… “This cake is dry” or “It’s WAY too sweet”. It was reasons like these that I absolutely despised cake growing up. I know what you are thinking… “What kid doesn’t like something loaded with sugar?”. I always found myself wanting something more. I wanted flavor, I wanted texture, and I wanted a MOIST cake. Read more>>

Juan Garcia

I really take the time to get to know my clients. I take their goals seriously and do my best to help them reach their true potential. Read more>>

Tinashei Phillips

I am not your traditional chef. Let’s just leave it there. We provide a unique experience every time. Read more>>

Ava Medina

Many PR firms connect dots and outsource the mechanics. I do both. Many PR firms hire me to flush out ideas, designs, pitches, press kits, sponsorship and marketing decks. My creative services department is a pretty popular resource for many. Read more>>

Natalee Pryce

What I do different from the fashion industry that I am into is I offer clothes that are Trendy and fashionable but modest. Read more>>

Candice Schoolman

School systems in today’s world have not evolved respectfully and operate in systems and habits that are incredibly outdated. Our public classrooms of today’s world are rooted in forced compliance, taking power from children, unlearning individuality and creativity, and absent entirely of the respect of community. This is sac-religious to everything we know about human development and what children need to be exposed to for growing up in secure minds. Read more>>

Corey Cochran

We are a one stop shop! We service all social media and music streaming platforms. From SEO to small business promotion. We have the means of taking any artist business or content creator to the next level. When is comes to video promotion we are the best in the business with over 40 Million Views alone on YouTube and Facebook Campaigns. Read more>>

Pamela DeWitte

For the last 2 2/2 years IV Lounge inc has had the privilege of helping so many on their journey to better health and wellness. We constantly strive to find new ways to improve our standard of care, setting the highest standard in the industry. One way we have done so is by having a Nurse Practitioner on staff. We also have medical grade refrigerators for storing all supplements with frequent monitoring. We are also staffed by only registered nurses with exceptional IV insertion skills. Lastly, we are overseen by board certified physician Shivagee Nallamothu. Read more>>

Jacey Herbert

In my Home Energetics offerings I go beyond the standard Feng Shui assessment and adjustments. I look at the human and the home holistically. I use a multitude of practices that are both spiritual and logical to create harmonized and balanced energy between you and your space. The goal is for you to feel connected, supported, and capable, energetically, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. Feng Shui is just one aspect of feeling comfortable and happy in the home. Read more>>