Years ago, I walked into a restaurant that felt more like a dare than a dining experience. The music didn’t match the lighting. The menu read like someone had lost a bet. And the walls were coated in color choices that didn’t care what Pantone said. I should’ve hated it. But I didn’t. I couldn’t. Because as much as it clashed—it worked. It wasn’t safe, but it was sure of itself. And that made it magnetic.
That moment stuck with me. Because most brands, most people, walk into a room and instinctively start rounding off their edges. They want to blend in just enough to get picked. But the truth is, the sharp edges are the parts that get remembered.
Here’s the playbook if you’re trying to build something bold without losing the room.
1. Define your non-negotiables
Before you scale anything—an idea, a brand, a voice—write down what you won’t trade away. Not what you hope to keep. What you refuse to lose. This is your tone, your tempo, your tell. Everything else can flex. These can’t.
Tip: Think of these as values with teeth. If they don’t cost you something, they aren’t real.
2. Systemize the surprise
Creativity feels spontaneous, but it’s often the result of structure. When you show up with a new idea once a week, every week, people begin to expect the unexpected. That kind of rhythm turns chaos into cadence.
Tip: Consistency doesn’t kill creativity. It gives it a runway.
3. Match boldness with rigor
A wild idea is easy. Making it land takes work. The best creative brands know this—they may seem chaotic, but underneath is discipline. The process may be unorthodox, but the execution is tight. That balance is what earns trust.
Tip: Your edge is only valuable if it delivers. Weird without good is just noise.
4. Don’t scale what you did. Scale how you thought
Most brands try to replicate the output. That’s backwards. You want to replicate the thinking that led to it. This means creating culture, not just process. The goal is not to make clones. It’s to teach your instincts.
Tip: Scale your reasoning, not just your results.
If you’re building a brand right now, this is your reminder: you don’t have to appeal to everyone to grow. You just have to be consistent enough to matter—and brave enough not to flinch when it starts working.
For more reflections like this, the full article lives over at the LinkedIn newsletter Unconventional Wisdom. If the newsletter is the thinking, this playbook is the doing.
Keep your edge. Keep moving. See you there.
