GS #34: The power of doing things differently

I recently started watching a new show called The Pitt on Max. It's a new medical drama that follows characters who work in a hospital ER in Pittsburgh. I realized immediately that this show felt different to every other soapy hospital drama I've seen like Grey’s Anatomy or The Resident.

Instead of bending medical science for the sake of heightened drama, The Pitt takes a hyperrealistic approach—one that’s not just gritty for the sake of grittiness, but simply palpably exhausting in the way real ER work must be.

It’s no surprise, then, that since I started watching, I’ve seen tons of medical professionals on social media calling it the most true-to-life medical show they’ve ever seen. This level of accuracy has created serious word-of-mouth buzz, in part because medical shows almost always miss the mark on accuracy.

This observation got me thinking about differentiation.

In business, it’s tempting to follow formulas. After all, formulas are proven and they work. But when something is always done the same way, it gets predictable. And predictability leads to being unremarkable.

On the other hand, this also creates an opportunity. If you’re willing to take a risk, you can break the formula in a way that surprises people and gets them talking. That’s what The Pitt has done. Instead of amping up the drama, they prioritized realism as their North Star, knowing that the natural intensity of life-or-death situations would be gripping enough.

So this week, let’s explore how to differentiate your business and do things differently so you, too, can create something that gets talked about.

- Jason and Caroline

tips for more predictability 🔄

Why a little unpredictability can actually create more stability

👩🏻‍🦰 👋: It sounds counterintuitive, but shaking things up in your business by taking risks can actually lead to more predictability.

If you feel like your marketing is plateauing or your content isn’t getting the engagement it used to, the problem might not be a lack of effort—it might be that your audience already knows exactly what to expect from you.

And when things become too predictable, people start tuning out.

The businesses that create long-term stability are often the ones willing to experiment. A fresh approach grabs attention, re-engages your audience, and can help you discover new reliable ways to generate traffic, sales, and momentum.

Here are some ways to break the pattern and uncover new predictable growth levers:

• Change up your content format. If you always post carousels on Instagram, try a talking-head video instead. If you write long-form newsletters, test a short, punchy format. The shift might unlock way more engagement.
• Launch differently. Used to big, high-pressure launches? Try a low-key flash offer for 48 hours instead. Or if you always sell at a discount, test a premium version of your product with bonuses.
• Break a “rule” in your industry. If everyone in your niche markets the same way, go the opposite direction. For example, if every course creator promises “six figures in six months,” be the one who shares realistic growth stories instead.

The key is to be strategic: Take a risk and test something a little unpredictable, see what sticks, then bake that into your systems for long-term sustainability.

​- Caroline 👩🏻‍🦰​

tips for more profit 🤑

What makes you different is what makes you sellable

👨🏻‍🦲 👋: Differentiation isn’t just about standing out—it directly impacts how people buy.

If your offer looks exactly like everything else on the market, potential buyers will default to choosing based on price (which means a race to the bottom).

But, when you position yourself as uniquely valuable, price becomes secondary to what makes you the right choice.

Think about your business:

• 🔥 What’s a problem you solve in a way that no one else does?
• 🔑 How can you communicate that unique solution clearly?
• 📣 How can you make that your core selling point?

For Wandering Aimfully, we realized early on that a lot of "business coaching" felt dry, boring, and at times, aggressive—which is just not how we do business. So we decided to differentiate ourselves by taking a fun, silly, light-hearted approach to business education. We use cartoon graphics, nonsensical metaphors, cinnamon roll references and emojis to signal to a potential customer that we're the right UN-BORING coaches for them.

Once you identify your most unique value, make sure your branding and marketing communicates that difference clearly and you're reinforcing it in every sales message.

​- Jason 👨🏻‍🦲​

tips for more peace 🧘

Do business in a way that actually fits you

👩🏻‍🦰 👋: Embracing your differentiator isn’t just about selling more—it’s about building a business that feels good to operate because it’s based on what’s authentic to you, not just what’s expected in your industry.

It’s easy to default to proven methods, even when they don’t feel right. Maybe everyone in your niche is running paid ads, launching with urgency-driven discounts, or constantly posting on social media. But just because something works for them doesn’t mean it’s the right fit for you. The truth is, when you design your business in a way that feels natural, you’re more likely to show up consistently—and that’s what creates long-term success.

Instead of forcing yourself to fit a mold, create a business model that fits you:

• 🤝 Hate cold DMs? Build a referral-based system instead.
• 🎥 Don’t love social media? Double down on email and podcasting.
• 📝 Prefer in-depth teaching over quick tips? Lean into long-form content.

And here’s the magic: In rejecting conventions that don’t align with you, you may naturally stumble upon the thing that makes your business uniquely attractive.

For example, Jason and I stepped away from Instagram for a few years—not as a marketing strategy, but because we simply wanted space from it. But in doing so, we’ve created a business that thrives without social media, which has naturally attracted creators who want the same freedom. Now, we can speak to business growth in a way that doesn’t revolve around Instagram, and that makes our message stand out.

​- Caroline 👩🏻‍🦰​

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