The Startup Remarkability Formula

How do you make your business stand out in a crowded market?

I had the pleasure of speaking with Rich Brooks, president of Flyte New Media, on the Startup Hustle podcast.

Rich shared his "Remarkability Formula," which offers startups a framework for differentiating themselves and attracting their ideal customers.

Today, we are going to review his remarkability formula, which composes four lenses:

• Find

• Focus

• Forge

• Frame

Find Your Unique Strength

The first lens of the Remarkability Formula is "Find."

It involves identifying what's already remarkable about your business.

As startups, we often overlook strengths in the pursuit of new features or capabilities.

Look closely at your product, team, or processes. There's likely something unique that you're already doing. Once you identify it, lean into it hard. Give it a name, promote it, and make it a core part of your brand.

Rich had a great example of a painting company. They had a unique approach of bringing in a large team to complete house painting jobs in just two days, significantly faster than competitors.

This was already part of their process, but by recognizing it as a unique strength and marketing it as "The Two-Day Paint Job," they could differentiate themselves in a crowded market.

Most companies have something about them that makes them unique, even if they don’t realize it.

What makes your company unique?

Check out the full podcast on YouTube:

Focus on a Specific Niche

"Focus" is about narrowing down your offerings until you're the only one offering your exact services to your customers.

This can be scary for startups, as we often want to appeal to everyone. However, as Rich pointed out, "The more narrow your niche is, the better you become.”

You should focus more and more narrowly until it becomes a little uncomfortable.

This extreme focus makes it easier to know exactly who you are trying to sell to and what you need to provide them.

The nightmare of startups is not knowing what to build or who to sell to. By focusing, this becomes more obvious.

Focus also creates differentiation.

Consider Rich’s example of the Mandarin teacher who rebranded as a "China Success Coach" for relocating business executives.

By focusing on this specific niche, she was able to charge premium rates and differentiate herself from cheaper online alternatives. She wasn't just teaching language anymore; she was providing comprehensive cultural and business preparation for a particular audience.

You want to be known as the best at what you do in a specific niche. You have to be an expert at solving your customers' problems. That requires focus!

Forge Something New

The third lens, "Forge," involves creating something outside your core offerings that align with your mission and values. This could be a podcast, conference, or even a free tool.

At Full Scale, we've applied this concept through initiatives like the Startup Hustle podcast and this newsletter. These aren't our core services but align with our mission of supporting entrepreneurs and startups.

They provide value to our audience and establish us as thought leaders in the startup space. Thanks for reading!

Rich's "Agents of Change" conference is another great example. Although separate from his agency's core services, it has become a powerful driver of business and brand awareness.

The conference brings together digital marketing experts and enthusiasts, positioning Rich and his company as leaders in the field without directly selling their services.

HubSpot's Website Grader is another classic example of "Forge" in action. This free tool allows businesses to assess their website's performance, SEO, and more. While it's not HubSpot's core product, it provides value to potential customers and is a powerful lead generation tool.

Frame Your Offering

The final lens is "Frame," which is about positioning or reframing your offering in a way that clearly communicates its value to your ideal customer. This doesn't necessarily mean changing what you do but how you present it.

Rich shared the example of Red Bull, which positioned itself as an energy drink rather than competing head-to-head with established soda brands. This framing allowed them to create a new category and dominate it. They didn't change their product; they changed how people perceived it.

For startups, effective framing can be the difference between being overlooked and being seen as the perfect solution. It's about understanding your customers' needs and positioning your product or service as the ideal fit for those needs.

This can also change over time and with market changes.

When the economy is hot, you might frame your product as one that helps with growth. In a bad economy, you might reframe it to help companies with upsells and retention.

How do you frame your services to best help your target customers?

Combining the Lenses for Maximum Impact

While each of these lenses is powerful on its own, the real magic happens when you combine them.

By finding your unique strength, focusing on a specific niche, forging something new, and effectively framing your offering, you create a compelling and difficult-to-replicate value proposition.

As Rich pointed out, "You don't want to compete with somebody else. You don't want to compete on price. You want to have a really clear offering where you're the only one who can actually deliver this particular result."

This is the essence of the Remarkability Formula.

It's about creating a unique position in the market that allows you to attract your ideal customers without constantly battling on price or features.

An excellent example of a company combining multiple lenses is Tesla.

They found their unique strength in electric vehicle technology, focused initially on the luxury car market, forged new ground with innovations-the-air updates and a direct-to-consumer sales model, and framed their offering not just as cars, but as the future of sustainable transportation.

Applying the Remarkability Formula to Your Startup

As you think about how to apply this formula to your own startup, remember that it's not about making dramatic changes overnight. Start by examining your business through each lens:

• What unique strengths do you already have?

• Who is your ideal customer, and how can you focus more narrowly on their needs?

• What could you create that aligns with your mission but isn't your core offering?

• How can you frame your offering to better communicate its value?

By thoughtfully applying these lenses, you can develop a remarkability strategy that sets your startup apart and attracts the right customers.

In a world of endless options, being remarkable isn't just nice to have – it's essential for success.

It's not about being everything to everyone – it's about being the perfect solution for your ideal customers.

Thanks once again to Rich Brooks for sharing his remarkability formula with us! Be sure to check out his episode on the Startup Hustle podcast to learn even more.