This Might Be Killing Your Brand

One of the most powerful things you can do as a business owner is:

Create tension.

Not conflict. Not chaos.

But the healthy kind of tension between insiders and outsiders.

Think about the best brands you know.

Patagonia. Harley-Davidson. CrossFit. Apple.

They don’t just sell products — they create belonging.

They make some people feel like they’ve found their people. And they make others roll their eyes.

That’s not a flaw. It’s a feature.

Too many founders try to build something “everyone can relate to.” Especially in the early days when you’ll take any new customer that shows up.

Even though I think it’s essential to do that early on to survive, if you continually build for everyone, you end up resonating with no one.

Or worse, you lose market share to someone who is clearer about who they serve with your product/service.

Your real job as an entrepreneur is to plant a flag.

To say: “This is what pisses us off about the world. This is what we believe in. This is who we’re making things for.

And if it’s not for you, that’s okay… Because there are dozens of other businesses who offer something similar”

When you draw the line, something powerful happens:

Your ideal customers start identifying with you.
They become evangelists who spread the word for free.
They forgive your mistakes because they believe in your mission.

And most importantly?

They opt-in — not because you marketed at them — but because your values made them feel like insiders.

But then, there are the seismic shifts that happen internally too:

You attract new talented people who are deeply connected to your purpose.
The existing team naturally starts getting around the right problems.
And it becomes so damn obvious to those who don’t fit.

Now, I know you’ve heard this before.

You might have even tried to do it, but then hit a quiet phase and loosened your approach to accept more business or employees.

In either case, these emails are more of a nudge to revisit the ideas of creating tension.

Embracing the idea of insiders and outsiders by making something for someone. Not everyone.

You can do that in your branding and messaging. You can do it through products and pricing. And you can do it through standards and culture.

Either way, you’ve got to do it.

And if you’ve shown up in a market where there are enough people with the problem you solve, word will travel fast.

So here’s the question:

What do you believe might push some people away… but pull your people closer?

Say it louder.

Say it clearer.

Say it more often.

Have a great week.