How To Start a Fight that Builds Your Brand

Quick heads-up…

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If you want my team and me working 1-on-1 with you to install the systems that let you scale your sales (and exit the day-to-day)... get the details and apply here before the remaining spots fill.

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-Ryan

Sometimes I say things that make people angry. Things like…

"Visionary and integrator are fake job titles."

“Annual planning is stupid.”

"Most company mission and vision statements are just entrepreneurial arts and crafts."

…just to name a few.

I've gotten hate mail over these beliefs. I've had people unsubscribe. I've had some very creative insults in my comment section.

But I say them anyway, because:

Most founders never do this. Most brands never do this. Heck, most so-called “influencers” never do this.

They post tips.
They share "insights."
They say things that are technically true, but completely forgettable…safe content that sounds like it could've come from anyone in their industry.

And then they wonder why they’re not standing out…why their messages and ideas just aren’t “breaking through.”

Spoiler: If it could've come from anyone...it might as well have come from no one.

What's the alternative?

I call them Unique Points of View, and you need at least three if you want your brand to stand out from the noise.

Here's how to find them.

Open Claude, ChatGPT, or whatever tool you use and type:

"What are the top 10 commonly held beliefs or best practices in [your industry]?"

…and you'll get a list of things everybody in your space takes for granted.

If you're a personal trainer, you'll see stuff like:

If you own an HVAC company, you'll see:

If you're a bookkeeper or accountant, you'll see:

Now go through the list one by one.

Some of those "best practices" will feel right. Skip those.

But a few of them...your gut will say, "Well, actually..."

That twitch? That seed of doubt? That's a Unique Point of View trying to get out.

Flip it. Invert it. Take the “obvious” truth and turn it upside down. For example…

For the personal trainer:

❌ "Track your macros" becomes...
✅ "Tracking macros is stupid."

❌ "Sweat every day" becomes...
✅ "Rest days are more important than lift days."

For the HVAC company:

❌ "Regular maintenance prevents breakdowns" becomes...
✅ "Maintenance contracts are a scam."

❌ "Energy-efficient upgrades pay for themselves" becomes...
✅ "High-efficiency upgrades COST you more than they save."

For the bookkeeper and accountant:

❌ "Maximize your deductions" becomes...
✅ "Stop chasing deductions."

❌ "Monthly financials are the gold standard" becomes...
✅ "Cash in the bank is all that matters."

See the pattern?

Each one is specific.
Each one challenges a widely held belief.
Each one attracts a certain kind of person and repels another.

That's the point.

I did this exercise myself. The "Visionary and integrator" concept is a sacred cow in my world. Everybody talks about it like it's gospel. But in my experience, it creates more dysfunction than it solves...so I said it out loud.

Some people got angry, but a lot more people said…

"Finally...someone said it."

Those are my people, and now they know I exist.

But let me be clear: the goal isn’t to be controversial or rage-bait just for the sake of being controversial. You have to actually believe it, or it won’t work.

I have a list of 10 unique points of view, but you don’t need 10… you need three.

Three hills you're willing to die on. Three positions that a certain kind of prospect will hear and think, "That's my person."

Then build your content around those three things.

Every video, every post, every email for the next 90 days should connect back to one of your three unique points of view.

This is the difference between a content calendar and a content strategy.

And here's the test: if your content doesn't make at least a few people uncomfortable...if nobody pushes back, nobody argues, nobody unsubscribes...

...it's not actually a unique point of view. It's just noise.

⚡️ Action Step: Open ChatGPT or Claude right now and type: "What are the top 10 commonly held beliefs or best practices in [your industry]?" Go through the list, and invert the ones that make you twitch. Write down three. Post one this week.

Give it a shot and let me know how it works…

-Ryan

Ryan Deiss
Co-Founder and CEO, The Scalable Company

P.S. I'm looking for 5 business owners who want to work 1-on-1 with my team and me to install a custom "operating system" so your business can scale and so you can exit the day-to-day. Click here for the details.