Different Is Better Than Better: What Fast-Growing Bootstrapped Companies Taught Me About Standing Out

Notes from the Messy Middle / Growth & Scaling

In short:

“Different is better than better” means building on what already makes your business distinct instead of competing to be better at the same things.
The idea comes from Pete Martin’s research on the fastest-growing bootstrapped companies in the Inc. 5000, and from Sally Hogshead’s work.
I’m testing it on my own advisory practice, Synnovatia, and tracking the results.

A red rubber duck wearing a small crown sits apart from rows of identical yellow rubber ducks on a blue background.

Different is better than better is the idea that a bootstrapped business grows faster by building on what already makes it distinct rather than by trying to outperform competitors at the same things. I first ran into the idea in Pete Martin’s research on the fastest-growing bootstrapped companies in the Inc. 5000, and I’m now testing it on my own advisory practice, Synnovatia. This is Part 1 of that story.

What does “different is better than better” mean?

“Different is better than better” means that when time, money, and talent are limited, competing to be better at the same things as everyone else costs more than it returns. Building on what already sets you apart costs less, and the right customer finds it easier to notice.

Sally Hogshead, a New York Times bestselling author, put it this way in How the World Sees You:

“Different is better than better. Different doesn’t try to turn you into something else. Different allows you to highlight the singular traits you already have within you. You aren’t necessarily better than your competition. But you are already different.”
— Sally Hogshead, How the World Sees You

After 25+ years in business, that was music to my ears. Business owners constantly hear how they should “be,” how they should “act,” and what they should look like to succeed. That can be hard to push against when you already feel like an outlier.

Where does the idea come from?

I found Verne Harnish and his book, Scaling Up, because of a promise I made myself never to become stale or lose relevance. After 25+ years running my own business, I was impressed by how simply he communicated the best practices I’d learned the hard way. Most importantly, his playbook applied to businesses with fewer than 10 employees, a size most experts don’t write for.

Following Harnish’s work led me to a webinar by Pete Martin, author of Scale Up Faster: The Secrets of the World’s Quickest-Growing Bootstrapped Companies, a book I highly recommend. Martin studied the top 1% of the Inc. 5000, companies growing at 149% a year. What stood out to me was that they were bootstrapped: no investors and no outside capital.

I’m a geek for stats and science-based research, and a growth rate like that without outside money is exactly what a bootstrapped owner needs to hear. Martin described many elements that contributed to triple-digit growth, but one idea stayed with me: different is better than better. Martin observed that many of these companies grew by embracing what made them unique.

Why does standing out matter more now?

Information is growing fast. According to IDC’s Global DataSphere research, the annual volume of data generated worldwide grew by nearly 182% over a five-year period. When that much information is competing for attention, a business that looks and sounds like everyone else quickly disappears. In a crowded market, racing to be better is a losing game.

I grew up believing that being better meant working harder. However, as bootstrapped owners, we have a limited amount of time, money, and talent. Burnout is real.

Since the companies in Martin’s research focused on how they were different, I wanted to understand what “different” actually looks like in practice.

What is lighthouse positioning?

Martin describes “lighthouse positioning” as being both genuinely unique and relevant to what customers care about. You need both, because being different doesn’t pay off unless it matters to them.

Why did this idea resonate with me?

Hogshead’s quote and Martin’s research gave me something I didn’t expect: permission to be myself. That might sound strange, given my age and how long I’ve been in business. But I grew up in a German, Russian, Jewish, Catholic household, and I was well trained to follow the rules. It wasn’t always easy, but I went along, because it felt like the right thing to do. Old habits run deep, and the pull to follow the crowd is real.

Why did I test it on my own business?

I’m a common-sense advisor. When clients and I work together, we build a plan around what’s possible in their situation. So I wasn’t going to ask anyone to try “different is better than better” until I had tried it myself. Part of that is my desire for authenticity. Part of it is watching experts repeat someone else’s ideas without ever testing them.

Synnovatia serves bootstrapped B2B service business owners generating $250K to $4M in revenue, the stage I call the Messy Middle, where growth has stalled. My own practice faces the same limits of time, money, and attention that my clients do, which made it the right place to run the experiment first.

How is the test going?

It’s early. I’ve finished the first phase, and the real proof, along with any adjustments, will come as the results get tracked. I’m measuring three things against a baseline of September 11, 2026, when the redesigned website launched: more business, more exposure, and greater interest. I’ll update this post as results come in. Will it make a difference? Follow along and find out.

What comes next?

Part 2 covers how the research worked: the two questions I asked my longest-standing clients, what surprised me most when I read their answers back, and how those answers shaped the positioning I use now, Strategic Perspective You Feel From the First Conversation.

Frequently asked questions

What does “different is better than better” mean?

It means a bootstrapped business is better served by building on what makes it distinct rather than trying to outperform competitors at the same things.

Who is Pete Martin, and what is Scale Up Faster?

Pete Martin is the author of Scale Up Faster: The Secrets of the World’s Quickest-Growing Bootstrapped Companies, which draws on research into the top 1% of the Inc. 5000, the fastest-growing companies that grew without outside capital.

What is lighthouse positioning?

It is the idea that a business needs to be both genuinely unique and relevant to what customers care about. Martin describes both as necessary.

Does “different is better than better” work for a bootstrapped B2B service business?

The research I’ve read suggests fast-growing bootstrapped companies lean into what makes them unique. I am testing the idea on my own practice, and I’ll report the results as they come in. It is too early to say what they will show.

What is the Messy Middle?

The Messy Middle is the stage, roughly $250K to $4M in revenue, where a bootstrapped B2B service business’s growth has stalled and its resources are stretched.

What is Synnovatia?

Synnovatia is a strategic advisory practice founded and run by Jackie Nagel for bootstrapped B2B service business owners generating $250K to $4M in revenue whose growth has stalled. Its approach, Strategic Perspective You Feel From the First Conversation, brings the kind of strategic thinking usually reserved for Fortune 500 companies, sized to fit a smaller business. Owners get an outside view of a business they’re too close to see clearly, from an advisor with 25+ years of running her own company. Synnovatia works with owners through one-to-one consulting, monthly retainers, and two mastermind groups, the Mastermind for the Messy Middle and the Seven Figure Forum.

About the author

Jackie Nagel is the founder of Synnovatia. She has 25+ years of experience running her own company and working alongside owners across a wide range of industries.