Most markets feel crowded because everyone is offering a version of the same thing.
Same product. Same pitch. Same assumptions.
And most businesses accept that sameness as a limitation.
But the brands that lead — the ones customers instinctively gravitate toward — don’t compete on the surface. They rise by shaping an experience that makes every other option feel outdated.
That’s how an ordinary fruit stand becomes the Apple, Inc. of Orange Stands.
The Power of Better Questions
Imagine a road full of vendors selling oranges.
They all focus on the fruit.
They all operate the same way.
They all assume the customer’s expectations are fixed.
But one vendor starts asking deeper questions:
What do customers value most in this moment?
Where are they losing time or convenience?
How can the buying experience feel more thoughtful?
What would loyalty look like if we earned it?
What opportunities appear when we stop thinking like everyone else?
These questions open doors others never see.
The vendor starts offering bags.
They bag the fruit for the customer.
They take card payments.
They pay attention to the details of the experience, not just the transaction.
The oranges haven’t changed.
The brand has.
And the market responds.
“Innovation doesn’t begin with invention. It begins with deciding to see what others overlook.”
Differentiation That Compounds
This approach mirrors the companies that redefine categories.
Apple didn’t invent computers, phones, or MP3 players — they reimagined the experience.
Your orange stand does the same when it:
Removes friction
Anticipates needs
Delivers care and precision
Builds trust through consistency
Makes the customer feel considered
Differentiation becomes a system, not a one-off tactic.
The experience becomes unmistakable.
Customers don’t compare — they return.
And loyalty evolves into momentum.
This is how a simple vendor becomes the category’s standout brand.
Becoming the Apple, Inc. of Orange Stands
When your brand is built on clarity, intention, and customer understanding, innovation becomes natural.
Ideas emerge.
Opportunities expand.
Growth compounds.
You stop asking how to sell more oranges.
You start asking how to build something customers genuinely love.
And that is the path every iconic brand takes — no matter the industry.
If you’re ready to build the kind of brand customers choose instinctively…
Drew Jessup
Head of Growth Strategy @ Sunday Roast
