When you're a creator in the business world, you can't seem to escape the same-old same-old examples. And while Red Bull is amazingly creative, and Airbnb and Uber are incredible tech companies, we can do better. We can find a more diverse array of examples and case studies from tech, marketing, design, and more. Here are 5 examples of creators who did the unthinkable: rejected conventional thinking and trusted their own intuition instead.

1. UNTHINKABLE
EXAMPLES OF
CREATIVITY IN BUSINESS
Jay Acunzo
@jayacunzo
5

2. Let’s rip the
Band-Aid
right off…

3. Let’s rip the
Band-Aid
right off…
A lot of us are sick and tired of
hearing about .

4. Don’t get me wrong:
is amazing.
is creative.
But is…

5. …NOT our
reality.

6. …NOT our
reality.
( is.)

7. …NOT our
reality.
( is.)
Did we do it? Did we go
viral,guys?….Guys?

8. We’re tricked into
thinking creativity
means BIG.

9. We’re tricked into
thinking creativity
means BIG.
But it doesn’t.

10. We’re tricked into
thinking creativity
means BIG.
But it doesn’t.
It means DIFFERENT.

11. We’re tricked into
thinking creativity
means BIG.
But it doesn’t.
It means DIFFERENT.
EXCITING.

12. We’re tricked into
thinking creativity
means BIG.
But it doesn’t.
It means DIFFERENT.
EXCITING.

13. We’re tricked into
thinking creativity
means BIG.
But it doesn’t.
It means DIFFERENT.
EXCITING.
Come at me,bro.

14. So how do you move from average to exceptional?
?

15. So how do you move from average to exceptional?
You gotta
do the
Unthinkable

16. So how do you move from average to exceptional?
Stop
following
the
listicle.

17. So how do you move from average to exceptional?
Ditch the
outdated
routine.

18. So how do you move from average to exceptional?
Stop
looking
for “the
secret.”

19. So how do you move from average to exceptional?
Don’t
blame
your
budget.

20. So how do you move from average to exceptional?
(Or time,
team,
boss,or
client.)

21. So how do you move from average to exceptional?
And start
trusting
your
intuition.

22. So how do you move from average to exceptional?
And start
trusting
your
intuition.
That’s what
makes you
exceptional.
(Literally: An
exception.)

23. So who has done that?
Here are some examples…

24. So who has done that?
Here are some examples…^
Very not-Red Bull

25. 1 Chase Jarvis
Photographer,Director,
CEO of CreativeLive
“We’ve been trained to think about
creativity as reserved for a few
people. Like you’re anointed at birth.
But we know that not to be true.”
- @chasejarvis

26. Chase was working his way through
med school, when, unfortunately, his
grandfather passed away.
And he left him something that
would change Chase’s life forever…

27. His photography equipment.
Chase wound up dropping med
school on a whim to take pictures
of skiers & snowboarders.

28. Today, he’s one of the best-known
photographers on the planet. He’s shot for
big brands and celebs alike. And he’s the
CEO of the world’s largest live-streaming
education company, CreativeLive.

29. Hear His Story >>
Today, he’s one of the best-known
photographers on the planet. He’s shot for
big brands and celebs alike. And he’s the
CEO of the world’s largest live-streaming
education company, CreativeLive.

30. 2 Finn Dowling
Writer/Marketer,Humane
Society of Silicon Valley
“Most other shelter blogs make me
want to stick my head in an oven.”
- @hsvv

31. For 2 years, Finn and her
team struggled to find a
home for a fiesty dog
they’d nicknamed “Eddie
the Terrible.” One day,
Finn decided to write a
different kind of article
than her industry
normally writes … and
that’s when everything
changed for this pup.

32. The article was so atypical and counter to
the industry “best practice” that it stood
out. It reached an estimated 7 MILLION
people! Here’s a taste of the article…

33. Like to go for walks in dog infested areas?
Enjoy the dog park? Keep walking. He goes zero to
Cujo in 0.5 seconds.
Want your kids to grow up with a full complement
of fingers and toes? Not the dog for you.
“

34. 32,000 6,300
The article reached people and appeared in
places that no shelter blog post had before.
(No budget. No “growth hacking.” No problem.)

35. Best of all, after 2 years
of being overlooked by
potential new parents,
little Eddie found a
home just days later.

36. Best of all, after 2 years
of being overlooked by
potential new parents,
little Eddie found a
home just days later.

37. Best of all, after 2 years
of being overlooked by
potential new parents,
little Eddie found a
home just days later.

38. Best of all, after 2 years
of being overlooked by
potential new parents,
little Eddie found a
home just days later.

39. Hear the Story >>
Best of all, after 2 years
of being overlooked by
potential new parents,
little Eddie found a
home just days later.

40. 3 Alec Brownstein
VP of Creative,
Dollar Shave Club
“There’s always a reason why NOT to
make something. You can look for it, or
you can look for the reason TO make
something and just go do it.”
- @jusfonzin

41. Alec wanted a job on
Madison Avenue, working
for a top creative agency.
Unfortunately, he had no
connections to land an
interview at any of them.
But he DID have 6 bucks
and a crazy idea…

42. Alec ran a few Google AdWords for the names
of 5 top creative directors. When they searched
their own names, they’d see an ad like this.

43. Out of the 5 people he
targeted, Alec got
interviews with 4. He got
job offers from 2. And he
accepted a job working
for Y&R.
Today, he’s the VP of
Creative for Dollar Shave
Club (acquired by
Unilever for $1 billion).

44. Alec’s story spread like crazy. For just $6, not
only did he land his dream job, but he
generated over 5 BILLION impressions from
both traditional and social media.

45. BTW…that’s 2,550% more reach than the
average Super Bowl ad for 0.00012% the cost.

46. BTW…that’s 2,550% more reach than the
average Super Bowl ad for 0.00012% the cost.

47. BTW…that’s 2,550% more reach than the
average Super Bowl ad for 0.00012% the cost.
Hear His Story >>

48. 4 Mike Brown
Founder,Death Wish Coffee
“What would be my worst-case
scenario? I’d sell my house and car
and move in with my mom. And
that’s EXACTLY what happened. It
was worse than that too.”
- @MikeBrownDWC

49. Several years ago, Mike Brown quit his
accounting job to open a coffee shop, and he
was struggling. So he did what many of us do:
Look for best practices from other veterans in
the same industry.
They all told him the same thing…

50. “You gotta stop using robusta beans. That crap
is only found in instant coffee. You’ll never build
a successful business with that!”
Robusta
Arabica

51. But Mike LIKED those
beans, and he decided
to stick with them.
And his worst-case
scenario came true: He
sold his house and car
and moved in with his
mom.
But he never did stop
liking robusta beans…

52. In the end, Mike combined his own
taste in coffee with a surprising request
from his customers and created Death
Wish Coffee. They’re now earning
multiple millions in revenue every year!

53. …all thanks to ignoring the
industry’s “best practice.”
In the end, Mike combined his own
taste in coffee with a surprising request
from his customers and created Death
Wish Coffee. They’re now earning
multiple millions in revenue every year!

54. Their fans are so passionate
that they helped Death
Wish Coffee win a free
Super Bowl ad. Some fans
even have DWC tattoos!

55. Their fans are so passionate
that they helped Death
Wish Coffee win a free
Super Bowl ad. Some fans
even have DWC tattoos!Hear the Story >>

56. 5 Sarah Cooper
Comedian & Writer
Ex-Googler
“Even after I made the decision to
leave, I woke up in the middle of
the night wondering if I did the
right thing.”
- @sarahcpr

57. Sarah Cooper was working at a dream employer: Google.
Except it wasn’t her dream. So she decided to leave to
write for a living. Just one problem…

58. She didn’t have a book deal yet.

59. She didn’t have a book deal yet.
But then she wrote a piece that acted like a slingshot…

63. Oh, and as for that book deal, well…

64. (Booyah.)

65. (Booyah.)
Hear Her Story >>

66. These 5 amazing individuals didn’t
hurl themselves from space to be
creative. But they DO probably hurl at
the prospect of simply copying what
everyone else says is the “best
practice” in a given situation.
Instead, they trusted their intuition.
They did the Unthinkable.
And they did
exceptionally creative things.

67. WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO
TRUST YOUR INTUITION?
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