Non-conformists, Dissenters & Rebels

“Talent, I believe, is most likely to be found among non-conformists, dissenters, and rebels. Think different—the best thinkers often do.” --David Ogilvy

If you're seen by your market as an also-ran, your clinic is going to be among those that are fighting for the scraps left over by the market leaders and you'll be forced to compete on price... not where you want to be.

To set yourself (and your clinic) apart, the first thing you have to do is be something of a non-conformist.

Non-conformity is what allows businesses to break out of the pack to become extraordinary. Non-conformity means that while everyone is following the rules, you are in your garage building Microsoft or out flying a kite in an electrical storm, or floating across the “Big Pond” to “discover” a new world.

Apple, famous for its “Think different” approach to problem solving, famously defied the conventional wisdom that compters had to be big and complicated to run, thus creating the first personal computers. Brilliant problem solvers often do more than find answers to existing problems. They create entire new industries. 

And that’s when things get interesting. The medical spa market is no longer new and novel. It may be that the med spa buzz has died down a bit, but with technology advancing faster than ever, the med spa industry is becoming more mature, and the competition will only grow for the forseeable future with the expansion of the new medical technologies that rely on tech over specific physician knowledge and skill.

Marketdata estimates that revenues of the 2,100 U.S. medical spas reached $1.94 billion in 2012, and will hit $3.6 billion by 2016. Average revenues per facility are $924,000—with about 80% coming from procedures and 20% form retail product sales. The market is forecast to grow 18% per year. Fully 58% of med spas expected sales to grow more than 5% last year.

How do you define non-conformity in business? Being a non-conformist isn’t limited to what you do; non-conformity might be displayed in how you answer the phone (value chain), how you build and market your products (positioning), your manufacturing (cost advantage, sustainability), your technology (speed and efficiency = cost)or any number of metrics. 

If you’re a non-conformist, a dissenter, or even a rebel, how have you broken away from the pack? What makes your business extraordinary?