Jeremy Liddle, MD of PR Agency Third Hemisphere, helps SMEs punch thrive through smart, unconventional strategies. Here he shares his views on how questioning your processes constantly can help you stay one step ahead of your competitors
Forget the same old “optimise your SEO” and “network more” advice. These unconventional growth strategies might sound strange, but they’re working for savvy business owners who dare to be different.
1. Hire a “chief friction officer” (yes, really)
While everyone’s obsessing over customer experience, smart businesses are appointing someone to intentionally slow things down. These “friction officers” catch errors, challenge assumptions, and prevent costly mistakes before they happen.
For small businesses, this could be as simple as asking your most sceptical team member (or even a trusted friend) to play devil’s advocate before you launch a new product, sign a big contract, or make a major investment. Their job? Point out everything that could go wrong.
Fintech companies call these “red teams” and use them to test their security by trying to break their own systems. What sounds counterproductive actually prevents disasters.
The weird part: You’re asking someone to poke holes in your ideas.
Why it works: Speed kills when you’re moving in the wrong direction.
2. Study your worst competitor, not your best
The struggling business down the street getting bad reviews holds a goldmine of lessons about what not to do.
Create a simple checklist of everything they’re getting wrong. Ignoring customer complaints? Terrible website? Pushy sales tactics? Now honestly, audit your own business for the same mistakes. Chances are, you’re making at least a few without realising it.
As strategy advisor Roger Martin notes, studying competitors isn’t about copying them. It’s about mining their mistakes for insights you can apply to your own business.
The weird part: Learning from failure instead of success.
Why it works: It’s easier to spot obvious mistakes in others than subtle ones in yourself.
3. Host quarterly “complaint festivals”
Once a quarter, give your team 30 minutes to complain about everything – customers, processes, you, the coffee machine, whatever. No solutions allowed, just pure venting.
Then, spend the next 30 minutes mining those complaints for gold. That question customers ask 50 times a week? Turn it into an FAQ. The clunky process everyone hates? That’s your next efficiency project.
Even if you’re a sole operator, try this with your partner, a business mate, or even just yourself with a timer and notebook.
The weird part: Encouraging negativity in the workplace.
Why it works: Complaints are unfiltered market research from your frontline.
4. Make your marketing deliberately “unpolished”
In an age of AI-generated perfection and overly-slick marketing, some of the fastest-growing brands are winning by being intentionally rough around the edges. Research shows 71 per cent of Gen Z prefer raw, unpolished content over heavily edited material.
Behind-the-scenes footage, unedited founder videos, and even showing the “messy” reality of running a business can make your brand feel more human and trustworthy. Studies show that 90 per cent of consumers value authenticity, yet only 51 per cent say brands actually deliver it.
This isn’t about being sloppy. It’s strategic authenticity. When you share the real, imperfect side of your work, people feel they’re dealing with a real person, not a corporate facade. And it’s free – no fancy production budget needed.
The weird part: Deliberately lowering your production values.
Why it works: Perfect is boring. Real is memorable.
5. Give your best ideas away for free
Stop hoarding your expertise. Write articles explaining your methodology. Share your frameworks on LinkedIn. Even teach competitors your tricks.
It sounds mad, but giving away your best thinking is one of the fastest ways to build authority and attract better clients, without spending a cent on advertising.
Think about it: potential clients can Google basic information. What they’re really buying is your judgment, experience, and confidence that you’re the expert who can solve their specific problem. Demonstrating that expertise publicly builds that confidence faster than any sales pitch.
The weird part: Teaching your competitors your secrets.
Why it works: The more you give away, the more you’re seen as the authority.
These strategies work because they flip conventional wisdom on its head. While your competitors are chasing perfection, speed, and secrecy, you’ll be learning from failure, embracing authenticity, and building a business that’s genuinely different, not just slightly better at the same old things.
