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.

Nicol Varona

The beauty industry is known for its lack of regulation but as our brands first customers we took it upon ourselves to go beyond just cutting out parabens, sulfates and silicones from our formulas. During our own transformation to embracing our curly hair, we tried many products that were not formulated with clean ingredients. We knew we wanted to design products that not only performed well but that were made with the highest quality and cleanest ingredients. Read more>>

Deborah Drummond

We have had incredible success in monetizing our podcast as well as having a very strong listenership in a short period of time. We have turned the podcast into a strong marketing funnel for our guests in ways that other people are not doing. There is a multitude of things that we do differently that gives the podcast guest an experience that makes them talk about us in the marketplace. Read more>>

Ashley Cook.

What I love about our business is the people. As wedding planners, we stand beside our clients on one of the most important days of their lives. We relieve the stress and take on any burdens they would have that day. In order for our clients to trust us in this way, we need to make sure they are more of a friend than a client. To gain trust with our clients we keep our communication open with them, we don’t limit how much they can ask because we really want to be able to get to know them and understand where they are in the planning process and what’s stressing them out. Read more>>

Christopher D Thomas.

Within the industry of marketing, most industry experts will say that continuous rebranding is not effective. It’s absolutely crucial you learn how to excel over your competition … my philosophy is that businesses, both large and small need to “re+inVent” annually. Read more>>

Delaney Canfield

Often times when I tell people we are a nonprofit photo and video studio, people are confused. It’s not a common business model, and people do not typically associate “nonprofit” with the production world. The reason Shape Cleveland is a nonprofit is because our goal in everything we do is education. Everything we do is rooted in educating our student interns about the worlds of film and photography. We pride ourselves in providing hands-on opportunities, something that can be hard to come by as a young person looking to enter this industry. Read more>>=

Latoria Gary.

Yes, everything I do is different from any other business. My labels are as plain as they could be while others might have a lot of color. Some might offer a more quality ingredient(s) than I do. Some are a little more pricer than mine but we all have to make a living. I’ve grown to stick with the saying either they’d pay it or not. I’ve always considered what others had to say about my brand or products but not any more. Read more>>

Ashley and Taylor Burre

We strive to educate our customers on every level possible of this hobby. We break down, for our customers, the chemistry of water and how certain species need different types of mineralization depending on where in the world they come from. Every team member here, walks our clientele through the biological setup of an aquarium and what is happening so that the customer can anticipate any and all things that may occur when the aquarium is establishing itself organically. Read more>>

Stephanie Tsapakis.

It is relatively easy to find a tutor for your child, but this does not always mean you will find someone who is able to meet their specific needs and provide quality instruction. At LD Expert, our teachers are not just tutors, they are specially trained and certified to meet the specific needs of students with learning differences. Our dyslexia intervention is only delivered by Certified Dyslexia Practitioners and Therapists – which ensures our programs are being delivered with fidelity and tailored to meet individual needs. Read more>>

Heather Wentler

One of Doyenne’s Guiding Principles is “Entrepreneurship happens within a life, not the other way around”. This principle comes from the constant narrative that is pushed on entrepreneurs that in order to be successful you need to solely focus on your venture and check everything else at the door before walking in. Read more>>

Kristin Marquet

The PR industry has been lacking in transparency for the last two decades. It is difficult to know what is going on with the campaigns that are being run and the results they are generating. This lack of transparency leads to mistrust and confusion among clients and agencies. Read more>>

David Parker

I don’t know how much different it is, but I plan, plan and plan more. I do a lot research on a course before photographing it that what seems to be the only thing I cannot control is the weather and skies. Read more>>

Michael Cinquino

We encourage our clients to take a front and center stage role in their businesses, to be visable. And, ideally, get on camera and tell their story. Read more>>

Deanna Moseley

My studio specializes in teaching all genres private one on one vocal and piano lessons. In reference to my studio, all genres vocal means pop, rock, country, blues, musical theater, jazz. worship etc….everything BUT classical vocal. I joke that I teach the kind of music most people WANT to learn. Students build upon a strong foundation of proper technique, artistry and contemporary styling so they can learn, master and perform the styles of music THEY want to study. Read more>>

Bart “Barnabas” Woinski

When my partner, Samael, and I first began our horror podcast, Grave Discussions, we knew we were entering a niche populated by other genre super-fans and scholars. But, while there are probably hundreds of podcasts centering on horror media, we stand out by offering a unique structure and two incredible hosts listeners won’t find anywhere else. Our show typically consists of the latest genre news and then an in-depth analysis of a movie (sometimes multiple) or pertinent topic. Read more>>

Blanca Parciak

I create a customized high school senior portrait experience for my clients. Read more>>

Julia Rogers.

We are a CBD company that formulates our products from the hemp that we grow on our farm. We voluntarily test all of our products regularly for quality control and compliance. We focus on educating our clients on the best application for our products and the most appropriate route of administration for their individual needs. Read more>>

Carolyn Hearn-Capps

Our entire business is built around the appreciation and elevation of small brands and makers. We are always on the hunt for truly unique pieces that aren’t just available anywhere. We have a special emphasis on items and brands that are local, handcrafted, charitable or Made in the USA. Read more>>

JENNY RHODES

I love to nourish people in all the ways & throughout the seasons. My teachings and offerings are seasonally oriented to the whole self, not just the physical self, and include class memberships & workshops in my private home studio sanctuary, seasonally prepared vegetarian meals & treats, retreats to warm and wonderful places, and seasonal mentorship programs to help my clients stay aligned & in harmony with their essence in the season of life they’re in. Read more>>

Brittany Brown

I strive to provide my followers with genuine recommendations based on my own experiences, therefore I do not charge the direct businesses for a spot on my social media pages. I also refrain from going about it via this method as I feel like it lessens my review as my opinion then becomes “bought” and less valuable. Plus, I always want to make helping the businesses and Small Town America my number one priority. Instead, I have built my platform to rely on overhead sponsorships that will not interfere with the authenticity of my posts. Read more>>

Jessica Vollrath

We are different than any other boarding and daycare facility in the area. Boarding can be really stressful for dogs and as soon as you pull out your luggage to pack, they know. A lot of people only take their dogs to the vet, groomer or boarding facility and those can all cause anxiety. When dogs are stressed, they won’t eat, they shake, they can get stress diarrhea, or they can become destructive. To help eliminate these things, we REQUIRE dogs do at least 2 days of daycare a month. Read more>>

Hanna Shuliakovska

My studio offers European Facial which is different from beauty industry standards. The European Facial includes 45 min lymphatic drainage and sculpting massage. My unique technique works with the skin as well as deeper layers such as the muscles. It prevents wrinkles and also helps reduce muscle tension after stress. Read more>>

Selena Thiele

Our goal as a company is always to treat every person like they’re special, whether they’re a client or one of our virtual assistants. Now, this doesn’t sound that different from the industry standard, but when you’re talking about an agency, the emphasis tends to lean towards speed and efficiency over specialty instructions. While maintaining the highest level of productivity is important, effectiveness can take a hit when you try to fit everyone into the same box. Read more>>

David Miller

As a writer of children’s literature, my number one goal is to inspire children to dream. Sadly, in many zip codes I work in across the country, Black and Latinx youth have forgotten how to dream and aspire to be great. Read more>>

Larilyn and Isaiah Clemons

I grew up loving fairytales and princesses. Despite my love for fairytales, I was always aware that none of the princesses looked like me. Though I was older when Princess Tiana debuted, it was still a big moment for myself and most black girls. Flash forward to joining this industry, and I still see a bit of the impact in the lack of diversity most of our fairytale characters portray. This isn’t a business I could just up and start like most ladies who love fairytales because I don’t look like most princesses and can’t run this company without women who do look like those princesses. Read more>>

Ramaj “Lola” Young

There are many things I do with my business that are not implemented into everyday food service. It’s very important for for me to set myself apart from many of the food practices we participate in. Nothing is perfect, and we grow and innovate but it seems to me that our food production has been tainted by capitalism and consumerism. It’s causing our misfortune. I think it’s very important to treat our food way better than we ever have. We understand what’s happening to our bodies. We feel the hormones and see the effects. I chose to fight these things. Read more>>