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Should Kids Follow in Our Founder Footsteps?
The Evolution of Entry Level Workers
Assume Everyone Will Leave in Year One
Stop Listening to Investors
Was Mortgaging My Life Worth it?
What's My Startup Worth in an Acquisition?
When Our Ambition is Our Enemy
Are Startups in a "Silent Recession"?
The 5 Types of Startup Funding
What Is Startup Funding?
Do Founders Deserve Their Profit?
Michelle Glauser on Diversity and Inclusion
The Utter STUPIDITY of "Risking it All"
Committees Are Where Progress Goes to Die
More Money (Really Means) More Problems
Why Most Founders Don't Get Rich
Investors will be Obsolete
Why is a Founder so Hard to Replace?
We Can't Grow by Saying "No"
Do People Really Want Me to Succeed?
Is the Problem the Player or the Coach?
Will Investors Bail Me Out?
The Value of Actually Getting Paid
Why do Founders Suck at Asking for Help?
Wait a Minute before Giving Away Equity
You Only Think You Work Hard
SMALL is the New Big — Embracing Efficiency in the Age of AI
The 9 Best Growth Agencies for Startups
This is BOOTSTRAPPED — 3 Strategies to Build Your Startup Without Funding
Never Share Your Net Worth
A Steady Hand in the Middle of the Storm
Risk it All vs Steady Paycheck
How About a Startup that Just Makes Money?
How to Recruit a Rockstar Advisor
Why Having Zero Experience is a Huge Asset
My Competitor Got Funded — Am I Screwed?
The Hidden Treasure of Failed Startups
If It Makes Money, It Makes Sense
Why do VCs Keep Giving Failed Founders Money?
$10K Per Month isn't Just Revenue — It's Life Support
The Ridiculous Spectrum of Investor Feedback
Startup CEOs Aren't Really CEOs
Series A, B, C, D, and E Funding: How It Works
Best Pitch Decks Ever: The Most Successful Fundraising Pitches You Need to Know
When to Raise Funds
Why Aren't Investors Responding to Me?
Should I Regret Not Raising Capital?
Unemployment Cases — Why I LOOOOOVE To Win Them So Much.
How Much to Pay Yourself
Heat-Seeking Missile: WePay’s Journey to Product-Market Fit — Interview with Rich Aberman, Co-Founder of Wepay
The R&D technique for startups: Rip off & Duplicate
Why Some Startups Win.
Chapter #1: First Steps To Validate Your Business Idea
Product Users, Not Ideas, Will Determine Your Startup’s Fate
Drop Your Free Tier
Your Advisors Are Probably Wrong
Growth Isn't Always Good
How to Shut Down Gracefully
How Does My Startup Get Acquired?
Can Entrepreneurship Be Taught?
How to Pick the Wrong Co-Founder
Staying Small While Going Big
Investors are NOT on Our Side of the Table
Who am I Really Competing Against?
Why Can't Founders Replace Themselves?
Actually, We Have Plenty of Time
Quitting vs Letting Go
How Startups Actually Get Bought
What if I'm Building the Wrong Product?
Are Founders Driven by Fear or Greed?
Why I'm Either Working or Feeling Guilty
Startup Financial Assumptions
Why Every Kid Should be a Startup Founder
We Only Have to be Right Once
If a Startup Sinks, Founders Go Down With it
Founder Success: We Need a Strict Definition of Personal Success
Is Quiet Quitting a Problem at Startup Companies?
Founder Exits are Hard Work and Good Fortune, Not "Good Luck"
Finalizing Startup Projections
All Founders are Beloved In Good Times
Our Startup Culture of Entitlement
The Bullshit Case for Raising Capital
How do We Manage Our Founder Flaws?
What If my plan for retirement is "never retire"?
Startup Failure is just One Chapter in Founder Life
6 Similarities between Startup Founders and Pro Athletes
All Founders Make Bad Decisions — and That's OK
Startup Board Negotiations: How do I tell the board I need a new deal?
Founder Sacrifice — At What Point Have I Gone Too Far?
Youth Entrepreneurship: Can Middle Schoolers be Founders?
Living the Founder Legend Isn't so Fun
Why Do VC Funded Startups Love "Fake Growth?"
How Should I Share My Wealth with Family?
How Many Deaths Can a Startup Survive?
This is Probably Your Last Success
Why Do We Still Have Full-Time Employees?
The Case Against Full Transparency
Should I Feel Guilty for Failing?
Always Take Money off the Table
Founder Impostor Syndrome Never Goes Away

How To Become a Premium Brand vs. Competition

Clarity Team

How To Become a Premium Brand vs. Competition

If Product A & B are identical, what could cause Product A to sell 5x more than Product B?

I love button up short sleeve shirts, I usually buy them at $15-$30. I came across one I loved, but it costs a whopping $85! How can one mimic their bold pricing positioning to become a premium brand vs. a mid-range brand?

Becoming a premium brand

Randy Tucker, Startup Founder, answered:

Purchase decisions are made based on presentation and then need. The same products presented in different methods will sell drastically different. Think about this, shirt A & B are identical, Shirt A is presented in a comfortable nice store with a well dressed sales person and Shirt B is neatly folded and laid out in a street vendors trunk. At the same price, shirt A will sell better. The only difference, presentation. This too is the reason a great web store design is needed in the online world.

Richard Taylor, Founder & CMO at Factori, answered:

Your branding & positioning needs to be built around your true differentiators. Generally those are one of three things (i) price; you supply the same product/service as the competition but at a better price, or with a better structured payment plan (ii) quality of service; you supply a better service at the same price, or at a justifiably higher price (iii) innovation; you supply something different – a service with a unique dimension to it.

You also have the potential to develop some ‘luxury’ effect (and I use that word in the strict Economists definition where an upward sloping demand curve is in effect) – that is by pricing yourself higher you create the perception that your product/service is in some way better or unique and increase demand. There is no easy way to do that – you just need first class marketing, service, support and patience.

Marco Rezende, Brand Identity Consultant, answered:

In order to be recognized as a premium brand, you need to offer and deliver a premium quality that stands the reality test. If your product is premium, as you promises, just design a consistent and premium quality in all, all aspects. Create the premium aura. Be consistent over the time. Engage your people on a premium internal culture and behavior. Engage your client with a premium identity. Create the same psychic atmosphere that you live when you are in a luxury goods store.
There is no simple ways. There is ways to be successful. Build a premium way.

Eran Eyal, Co-founder // COO at Passo, answered:

If you can show hard data that you are quicker and better than the competition, you can charge more. Initially you do sweetheart deals, for sure – but once you have customers and data, don’t fall into the classic pitfall that you feel you need to charge the same or less. Segment your offering into product market fit: The right product for the right customer. That can allow you to scale your costing.

I always enjoy “supersize me” options. You offer the “standard” package and show comparative benefits vs the competition. This places you as premium in the mind of the consumer, but no-one wants a “standard” package – or at least not for very long. Show them premium and enterprise/ diamond packages with significant benefits and as long as you’re known for your excellence, the right customers will open their pockets. Transparency of data is what it’s all about. Show the benefit. Show the delta.


Do you have some of your own expert insight to add? See more startup expert answers on how to differentiate and evolve your company into a premium brand.

Curious to know how the experts would weigh in on your own entrepreneurial dilemma?

Log in to Clarity and explore the Answers forum for yourself!

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