Lindsay Tjepkema, startup brand consultant, speaker, and podcast host, is a 3x founder with 20+ years of experience building B2B brands.
You’ve studied the moves of the breakthrough brands. You know them well—they’re the ones that come onto the scene and explode to legendary status. They build cult-like followings and ring the bell at the New York Stock Exchange when they go public. You’ve followed their playbooks, watched their webinars and implemented every “hot” growth hack they endorse.
But let me ask you something: If doing what all the hip, cool, seemingly successful brands have done was the key to your brand’s success, wouldn’t you have broken through by now?
The truth is that legendary brands don’t achieve legendary status by copying someone else’s playbook. It’s not what they do that leads to their breakthrough, it’s how they think.
The Problem With Playbooks
Here’s the thing about playbooks: They only drive major success for the people who create them. Why? Because those playbooks were built around the specific circumstances, challenges and vision of one particular business. They were created at a different time, for a specific opportunity and for a unique audience.
While playbooks often yield some results, no amount of copying and pasting will lead to your particular breakthrough. In fact, the more you try to follow someone else’s path, the more you will distance yourself from the creative thinking and bold decisions needed to succeed.
Your brand is entirely different. Doesn’t it deserve its own breakthrough story?
What Does It Take To Break Through?
The brands that transcend—the ones we all look up to—share one key trait: A mindset I call “thinking B.R.A.V.E.” Thinking B.R.A.V.E. means:
• Brand: Every decision strengthens the long-term value and positioning of the brand.
• Relationships: The focus is always on building long-term trust with the right audience, not just gaining a flash of attention from anyone.
• Audacity: There is space for bold, creative ideas instead of playing it safe.
• Values: Actions always reflect and uphold the brand’s core values.
• Energy: Chasing positive energy comes before hustling and grinding out of pure pressure or obligation.
Thinking B.R.A.V.E. isn’t a formula, it’s a mindset. It’s not about doing what others do but rather thinking the way they think.
Proof That Thinking B.R.A.V.E. Works: The Airbnb Story
This is a story you likely already know, but let’s take a look at it through the lens of thinking B.R.A.V.E.
When Airbnb launched, the idea of strangers staying in each other’s homes seemed bizarre, even risky. Hotels, of course, dominated the travel industry, so Airbnb faced the challenge of not only educating the market about its business model but also getting them comfortable with the concept of vacationing in someone else’s home.
Airbnb didn’t attempt to adapt existing industry playbooks to their business or try to compete with hotels on traditional terms. Instead, they did something audacious: They didn’t try to sell rooms, they sold experiences and a sense of belonging anywhere in the world.
Their approach was:
• B – Aligned with their mission to create a world where anyone can belong anywhere.
• R – Focused on building trust between hosts and guests through a strong community and review system.
• A – A bold departure from traditional hospitality, which made home-sharing not only feel normal but desirable.
• V – Deeply rooted in the values of openness, inclusivity and connection.
• E – Fueled by an infectious energy that turned early adopters into passionate advocates.
This wasn’t just a clever marketing campaign. Airbnb built its entire business on the idea of thinking differently, refusing to follow the traditional hospitality playbook. And today, they are one of the most successful travel brands in the world—not because they copied what others did, but because they thought B.R.A.V.E.
Why This Matters
Legendary brands aren’t built by a single campaign. And they certainly aren’t created through short-term thinking or hacks. They’re the result of thousands of small, deliberate decisions made over time. They know that every decision—big or small—either moves them closer to or farther from that coveted breakthrough.
Any decision that isn’t B.R.A.V.E. (i.e., doesn’t align with the brand, build trust, embrace creativity, uphold values and chase positive energy) will fail.
Without brand alignment, you risk being forgettable. Without relationships, you’ll lose the affinity and trust of the people you need most. Without audacity, you’ll play it safe and be forgotten. Without values, you’ll lose trust. Without energy, you’ll lack momentum.
The Path Forward
Stop looking for shortcuts and relying on someone else’s playbook. Instead, start thinking B.R.A.V.E. With each decision you make, ask yourself:
• Is this aligned with my brand?
• Will this deepen relationships with the right people?
• Am I being bold and creative?
• Does this reflect my core values?
• Does this feel right?
In the end, the brands that break through don’t follow playbooks—they write their own. When will you write yours?
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