In the current generation of business being unique is a top priority to getting noticed. Each day some new story comes out about some creative marketing plan that takes the cake and drives huge traffic to a business. The Taco Liberty Bell April Fool’s joke or Verizon’s real life ‘Can You Hear Me Now?’ promo can only be described as unique. If a business is to survive and thrive making an effort to be unique is a must. Whether you pull off unique marketing stunts, have products which need no introduction or style yourself as an innovative CEO, having a defining quality is what customers will notice.
#1 – Making an Impact
Making an impact isn't just how – but also why – we do business. It is also how and why we are continuously innovating and co-creating with our community and our retail partners. Creating and maintaining an authentic brand essence starts with authentic and committed efforts rooted in meaning that is beyond ourselves. We've built our business differently and we're continuing to show others that just because something hasn't been done before does not mean it's impossible. Our existence is proof that when purpose and meaning are at the heart of a business, everybody wins – and that's powerful.
Thanks to Richelieu Dennis, Sundial Brands
#2 – Technology Ownership
Boatyard is unique in its ability to make owning a boat much easier. We've built our entire business around the premise of making sure none of our members have to deal with shoddy mechanics or misquoted pricing or any of the other headaches that come about when dealing with the inevitability that is maintaining your boat. The end consumer loved our app, but we found that for all of our efforts, there were still some less than perfect experiences stemming from mechanics and service providers that were behind the times technologically. So in our seemingly endless pursuit of a seamless fix for the pains of boat ownership we also have created a software platform for the providers themselves. What makes Boatyard special is its complete ownership of the technology side of both the consumer and the provider to ensure everyone ends up happier.
Thanks to Nathan Heber, Boatyard
#3 – Healthy Candy
I have invented candy that is good for you. Cracked Candy is a naturally sugar-free hard candy that looks cool, tastes amazing, is fun to eat and is *good for teeth! *Sheets of candy are hand cracked into shards (hence the name) so you can choose the size you feel like from the designer looking tin it comes in. Cracked Candy is perfect for a healthy, happy life as it is low carb, safe for diabetics and certified vegan. It is also non GMO and provides work for people with disabilities. How can this be? Because xylitol is used instead of sugar – xylitol is a natural sweetener found it fruits and vegetables. It strengthens teeth and prevents decay so dentists love it.
Thanks to Flora Pringle, Cracked Candy LLC
#4 – A Unique Business Idea
I started my business after years of little hints that kept on popping up in my professional life. All of these little hints nudged their way into my mind. When I realized it was an idea that could work, I just wrote it in my notebook for possible later creation. A few years later and many hours of hard work and the business was launched. I was able to take my contacts from my previous company to help start the new company that would recruit English teachers to work exclusively in the Middle East. My new company was unique because unlike any of my previous ideas or other companies, this one required very little learning of new skills. All of the skills, contacts and knowledge would be learned thru my other company teaching English online to individuals and companies. You could say that I didn't have many sleepless nights in the founding of this business. Once you learn the game, you never forget the game, it's just a matter of taking some of what you learned elsewhere to create the new business. So get out there and start any business, even if it fails I promise that it will help you in your next venture which might be that one that becomes hugely successful.
Thanks to Marc W. Anderson, TalktoCanada
#5 – Dedication to Team
If I were to point out precisely a single thing that sets us apart from every other company, that would be the dedication of each person in our team. For the past 28 months, we were able to push out a total of 28 new product releases. With an average of six new features per month, this amounts to a total of over 150 features. The quantity is not for the sake of quality and we have a grand total of one open customer issue for a code base exceeding a million lines. I believe this is quite an achievement for a company that was started three years ago. We owe the efficiency to the strive that is inspired constantly by each person in Kanbanize. This would not have been possible without taking to heart the mission of our company – to help teams implement Lean principles and optimize their projects, no matter their scope or level of difficulty.
Thanks to Dimitar Karaivanov, Kanbanize
#6 – Inflatable Booster Seat
Our company is unique, as we created the first-ever inflatable car booster seat. As a mother of two, my primary goal was to offer travelers a safe way to transport their kids. I was frequently traveling between my native Ireland and England to visit a sick relative, and I always had to transport cumbersome fixed booster seats back and forth on the plane due to the lack of car booster seats available from car rental desks. I came up with the simple idea for an inflatable car booster seat and invented BubbleBum as an affordable, lightweight car booster seat that could travel easier than a child does. It weighs less than one pound and can deflate in minutes, making it easy to throw in a backpack when not in use. BubbleBum also includes belt positioning clips in place of arm rests, so it’s possible to fit three boosters across the back seat of a car! Parents can take BubbleBum along for car-pools, cab rides, and fly ins with car rentals. With our BubbleBum inflatable car booster seat, we are helping to ensure that EVERY child has a safe booster seat on EVERY ride.
Thanks to Grainne Kelly, BubbleBum
#7 – Real People
One of the biggest things that make our business unique is that we don't use automated phone systems when customers call in to incorporate their businesses with us. You get to speak with a customer service representative who guides you step by step through the process. It's much more personalized than attempting to speak with a recorded device that, when it doesn't understand you, will pause and say, ‘I'm sorry I didn't get that.'
Thanks to Deborah Sweeney, MyCorporation.com
#8 – Filling a Niche
I saw a strong need for faster feedback for managers I’ve studied and worked in marketing my entire life and became Head of Marketing at Experian at the age of 24. During my years working as a manager I began to feel as though there were no adequate ways of collecting fast feedback from my direct reports, and I felt that it was really hard being a manager for these reasons. Feedback from staff surveys tends to end up in the hands of senior management but there was nothing that provided managers with the support andfeedback they needed to drive the business forward on the ground. So I founded Motivii in 2014; a platform built for managers that provides them with fast feedback from their direct reports. We’re now helping managers at companies such as Deloitte, Lloyd’s Bank and NBC Universal, and it’s also made my life a lot easier as I use it with my whole team!
Thanks to Eamon Tuhami, MotiviiURL
#9 – Hiring Solution
My business is unique in that I offer a solution to hiring problems. One of the biggest struggles a business owner faces is in who to have on their team. They look for employees based on what they like rather than what they need and they are in a rush to make hiring decisions as opposed to being strategic.. My virtual program Secrets to Successful Staffing (available in In February 2017) will give my years of recruiting expertise to entrepreneurs and allows them to create a hiring process that works for them… not just what works for someone else. I currently offer occasional coaching, but this will allow me to help many more businesses.
Thanks to Jen Teague, Jen Teague, LLC
#10 – Chip Readers
Our restaurant uses chip cards to order food and drinks.When guests enter the restaurant they receive a chip card. They go to the chefs, which are lined up and order their food right there. The chef then cooks the guest’s meal right in front of them. We serve fresh, daily in house made pasta, pizza and salad. The guest takes the food to a table of their choice. They can choose between his tables, lounge area or bar. Guests can also switch their tables. For instance starting and eating in the dining room and then move to the bar where they would like to drink their cocktail. On the way out the guest returns their chip card to the cashier and pays. We have 182 location in 32 countries.
Thanks to Thomai Nassiri, Vapiano USA