Several things are special about this book. First is how I came to get it. For the five years that Chad Dickerson was CEO of Etsy I used Twitter to get in touch with him. It’s hard to make contact with a busy CEO, especially a CEO of a public company and especially when you’re just a blogger like me. But I write about Etsy frequently, and not always favorably, and I wanted him to read my posts. Although he never commented on them directly, he did acknowledge them and for that, I’ve always been so appreciative.
I’ve continued to follow Chad since he was ousted from Etsy and about a month ago I emailed him a link to a piece I’d written about Etsy’s change in direction. He emailed me back and recommended a book that he felt had shaped his approach to business. It was Different: Escaping the Competitive Herd by Youngme Moon. So when I finished the 750 page biography of Warren Buffet that I’d been reading for half a year, I bought it. I finished reading it last night.
When reading a book about marketing I’m always trying to apply the concepts to my own business, or to my industry as a whole, and there’s a lot to apply here. The thrust of this book is that in order to keep up with competitors businesses rush to add extra features, often the same features, and in the end we find ourselves within a sea of sameness.
Photo by my friend, Susan Yates, of a sign outside Selfie Coffee in Bangkok.
Herd-like behavior happens in part because we’re all listening to the same advice. If you’ve been paying attention to the online business space, for example, you’ve been told the following:
- Create an opt-in to grow your list.
- Offer a free webinar to market your ecourse.
- Start a Facebook group to build community.
Soon, everyone has all of these things and every site is the same. Moon explains that the more competitive a market is, the stronger the rush to sameness becomes. Think about sewing machine companies, for example. They all offer the same bells and whistles. Is there one brand that stands out for its willingness to stand out, to be alone in focusing on only one type? I thought maybe Juki because I associate Juki with being a bare bones, straight stitch machine with industrial speed and a wide harp, but then I saw that Juki offers all the other types, too.
Cotton + Steel came to mind for me, too. If you were involved in the online sewing community four years ago you likely watched the brand’s launch video.
“What if I helped a company like RJR build a brand new division, maybe do things a little differently,” founder Melody Miller says. “I described this epic brand I wanted to create…we’ve come in with a new aesthetic and are offering RJR something that they’ve not tried before.” Creating a collaborative brand in which five designers would work together with one color palette season after season was brand new and demanded that we all take notice.
Missouri Star seems to me to be another example. This is a local quilt shop made famous through its YouTube videos. At age 60 Jenny Doan must be one of the oldest YouTube content creators to have built such a wildly popular channel (she’s 52 in this early video that currently has over two million views). The business model focuses on selling precuts and the video tutorials show you how to use them. Missouri Star has become one of the largest and most successful companies in the industry with this unusual approach.
Moon makes clear that there’s risk involved in choosing to be different. “Idea brands are not perfect brands. Far from it,” she writes. “They are polarizing brands. They are lopsided brands. They are brands that are devoted to skew.” I thought of Merchant & Mills. This brand of patterns and notions is centered on timelessness. “I think timelessness is a very big thing,” says co-founder Roderick Field in their company video below, “so you can’t pin it down and say ‘oh that’s so 80’s or that’s so 90’s or so 60’s.’ It’s always good. We’re not doing anything revolutionary here. We’re doing what’s always been done…well and now.” This means they’re not for everyone, nor are they offering everything. Co-founder Carolyn Denham describes the brand as a lifestyle choice.
I found Youngme Moon’s philosophy in Different to be reassuring and motivating, both for my business and for me as a person. I have a strong internal sense of what I want to work on and what I don’t, and the business I’ve built is reflective of my varied interests. I realize that it often doesn’t follow today’s best practices for online business. For example, from time to time I choose to tackle industry issues that some find controversial and that’s not always been easy. After reading this book I feel reaffirmed in my own decisions to do some things differently.
“There is an opportunity here, there is an opportunity always, for brands to create value by offering a break from that which is profuse,” Moon says. “If there is one thing I feel pretty sure about, it is that there will always be a place for brands offering something that is hard to come by.”
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Are there other sewing brands that stand out to you for doing things differently? How so?
Alyce {Blossom Heart Quilts} says
This book sounds fascinating! It’s something I’ve been mulling over for a while, how to authentically be me/how am I different/what can I offer that is different. Ironically, I heard Jenny speak last week during her Australia trip, and what she had to share really helped me find some answers to those questions.
Abby says
How interesting to get to hear her speak. I hope to make it out to Hamilton to see Missouri Star in person before too long.
Lisa Smallridge says
I had a ticket for that Jenny Doan presentation in Melbourne too. Sadly, I had to miss it due to a recent hospital admission. Am ok now, but am annoyed. Sounds like it was very inspiring. It’s not every day we get famous quilters making the long trip to Australia. Thanks again, Abby, for another interesting article, I’ll check out the book.
becka says
I have been thinking about just this idea of not “being a part of the sameness” a lot recently. The reason I have my own business is so that I can have exactly the business I want to be, with my values and aesthetics as a big part of that. I have always called it a “niche brand” but I like the label “idea brand”, which seems a lot more inclusive. I also choose not to follow many of those best practices because they feel like such a bad match and unauthentic for me. I’ve had really well-meaning colleagues scold me for “not doing Instagram right” and it’s sometimes hard to articulate that it’s not that I don’t get it, I am just choosing not to follow those rules. I really respect and admire Chad (I met him a couple of times) and I am definitely interested in reading this book.
Abby says
I like the term “idea brand” too!
Martha O. says
THANKS for sharing this, Abby ~ definitely plan to read this book!
Regarding “sameness”, I subscribe to several blogs about quilting and am surprised to see so many “the same” in their “new” focus and product launches. This is especially evident when someone launches a book and has a dozen (or more) bloggers each do a project with the new book … the promotional aspect seems to go on forever among the (relatively small) quilting community. 🙂
Felicia Brenoe says
Thank you for this thoughtful and interesting post. As a quilt designer in a VERY saturated market this is something I have been thinking a lot about lately. The push to “fit in” and be one of the cool girls has felt very strong to me to the point that I felt that I lost my original vision for my blog and my designs. Especially with all the social media out there, I sometimes feel like there is a pressure to use the “right” fabrics and produce the “right” kind of quilt patterns. However, in the last few months I have become more and more aware of the need to cultivate only what makes me unique, use and design only what is at the very core of what I love, and then cultivate an audience over time that is attracted to my voice. I think Seth Godin’s book “The Icarus Deception” also discusses this topic. The rush to sameness, convenience, and a lack of uniqueness.
Abby says
I think you’re definitely not alone in this feeling, Felicia.
Megan says
I really enjoyed this article. I am constantly determined to be different but it takes a bit of courage and also, the realisation that sometimes it doesn’t matter how hard we try, with access to everyone on the planet now through the internet, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to be totally unique. Which is good in a way, because it means there are others out there who get you. My approach with my business is a bit different compared to some others in that I was a handmade business designer first so I’ve continued that approach in my now more craft orientated business, keeping up a boutique feel to both my online fabric store and designs, so it hopefully feels more like you can create designer pieces for your life, rather than simply craft. I don’t have any set rules though, just go with my process. A year or so ago I loved all bright colours and now I’ve moved my brand towards softer, muted tones and a general French farmhouse feel in my mind. I try to think of my whole brand as creative, moving fluidly with me as I explore new areas, colour palettes and styles. Everything is creative, I just need to adjust that mindset to my book work and I’m good to go LOL. One thing I am definitely NOT doing in my business that is popular with most craft blogs and is a practice recommended for good business success is free Tutorials. I just have never gravitated towards making them myself, I start and then get so involved in the process it becomes a saleable pattern. It’s an idea I like (free tutorials) but not something I do for my business, and I probably never will.
Marina says
A great post and I’m keen to read this book. Another author with a related message who I follow both online (and in books) is Bernadette Jiwa.
Melanie A Smith says
I love that you are willing to tackle the tough issues in our industry. On the rare occasion that I’m not in agreement, I still appreciate how well thought out, researched, and written they are. I always learn so much! Thank s for having the bravery to step out and make people think!
Karen Powell says
Abby, thanks so much for this timely article. As the marketplace becomes more saturated I’m seeing “sameness” increase at a rapid rate across all maker markets. I own a custom slipcover business, and like professional crafters, quilters and sewists, I have to be vigilant about implementing ways to break away from the herd in order to stand out. I’m finding it takes some trial and error but the pay off has been rewarding as I discover what works best for me and my customers.
Ruth says
Abby – your unique view is why I always read your blog/newletter. If I am too busy, I will save it and wait for the right time … others get deleted in the time saving mode – they will say the same thing again another time!
Love your courage to go where no one else dares (THE husbands lounge discussion !!) and the elegant way you communicate.
Stay unique, there’s enough sameness out there.