Don’t ask me why, but a while back I watched a mini-documentary about one of the world’s most expensive hobbies:
Keeping koi.
The video-maker visited a collector in Dubai with a "casual" koi collection worth over 10 million dollars. The most valuable fish? Around $250k.
Begs the question:
How can a fish be worth more than a mortgage?
The documentary explained:
The difference between a valuable koi and a worthless one isn't a big thing like the size or age, but small variations in their scale patterns.
If the pattern is even slightly different - maybe just 10% - from a normal koi, the value skyrockets.
Now..
In a weird way, there’s something koi-like in careers, too.
Often, we don’t need to be miles better to stand out. Sometimes, being just 10% different is enough to have a “wow” factor.
Take, for instance...
🦁 3 special sentences
The following is a real cold email I saw online that I loved:
==================
Hi Giuseppe,
I see you’re an active gardener. I just planted some lantanas at my home in Santa Clara, and they aren’t looking too hot. Any advice?
But I’m also a statistics Master’s student at Stanford looking to break into the quantitative trading world. Any chance you could help?
Thanks a ton. (source)
==================
What I want you to notice:
The second paragraph is just a normal cold email. The first paragraph (lantanas) is the 10% difference that makes it stand out.
Of course, this isn’t just a cold email thing.
🦁 Small differences are a big deal everywhere
I mean..
- A street of identical houses will sell for the same price, but the one with a treehouse, or a funky mailbox sells for more.
- You meet a hundred people at a networking event, but you just remember the one who told that funny joke
- And the server who does the same job but with a smile gets way more tips.
Why are 10% differences so powerful?
And why might they be better than big differences?
Probably…
🧘 The nudist buddhist rule
Which says the following:
People similar to us make us feel safe. People who are totally different make us uncomfortable. Putting yourself between those two extremes is what makes you compelling.
You’re conventional enough to tick the expectations box, meeting your audience’s desire for conformity & professionalism…
But with a few small differences to make you novel & exciting.
I.e:
A nudist or a buddhist is compelling, but not a nudist buddhist. (Although, tbh, I think being a nudist on its own is too weird anyway).
In maths speak:
Instead of being 100% conventional, be 90% conventional with 10% novelty.
How?
Here’s a few ideas:
🪶 Quirky email sign off
You never want to be a clown, but it’s amazing how far a little laughter can take you. Even (and especially) in the stuffiest professions.
Someone who worked in the aquarium industry signs off their emails with, “Best Fishes.”
It gets smiles.
What would be a sign-off that’d make your colleagues smile?
Important caveat: don't try this on your resume.
Your resume is the one place where standing out with quirky fonts, colors, or unusual formatting can actually hurt you. Automated systems and traditional hiring managers expect standardized formats.
Speaking of great resumes — if you want to check whether your resume is readable by those systems or if it’s aligned to what hiring managers are looking for, upload it for free here. You’ll get an instant score with some feedback to make your resume a lot more successful.
🗣️ Unexpected small talk
Q:
Why is small talk boring?
A:
Because you know what they’re gonna ask you.
The solution:
Throw in some curveballs. For example, someone’s said they’re an accountant. You might ask:
- “Huh. What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned as an accountant?”
🎦 Zoom pizazz
Behold, the standard Zoom experience:
Poor lighting, people staring down at their cameras, and sometimes even nose hair.
You, on the other hand, could have a DJ-quality mic, studio lighting, and one of those tiny cameras that attach to your screen so that you’re always making eye contact.
Oh and here’s another approach — use a custom background, even better if it’s related to the meeting. If your meeting a colleague to discuss sales in the Middle East, make your background a picture of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Or for someone you know well who has a sense of humor, use something funny! You get the idea — just a little jazz.
🧦 Wear conversation starters
Sales guy Josh Braun wears colorful socks.
Every so often, someone notices and strikes up a conversation. The convo leads to an acquaintance, which, over the course of a year (never mind a career) equals a very big network.
All because of socks.
What’s your “socks”?
🪖 Military time-keeping
A Navy(?) phrase I love is, “If you’re early, you’re on time. And if you’re on time you’re late.”
It’s very meat and potatoes, but in this day and age, being 5 minutes early is a very easy way to stand out.
💌 Send a letter
When was the last time you received a hand-written letter?
Probably, never.
So how about writing one the next time you want to thank somebody?
As they say, the medium is the message.
💎 The "How can I be different here?" question
The simplest trick for standing out is asking yourself one question before any professional interaction:
"How can I be different here?"
Before your next meeting, pause and ask yourself this. You might come up with:
- Bringing a physical prop related to the discussion topic
- Preparing one insightful data point nobody else will have
- Start your essay or meeting with a short story, instead of diving into the agenda right away (like I tried to do with the koi story in this write-up!)
- Being the one person who actually reads all the pre-meeting materials
- Use a whiteboard in your meeting instead of just slides
I once watched an ex-colleague bring sweets he got from his holiday to a budget meeting because "discussing numbers is more pleasant with something sweet." Everyone remembered them.
This isn't about gimmicks. It's about thoughtful differentiation where everyone else defaults to autopilot.
👋 Introduce yourself differently
The standard introduction is a career death sentence: "Hi, I'm [name] and I work at [company] as a [title]."
Boring. Forgettable. Just like everyone else.
You want your story to be original.
❌ Bad: "I moved to NYC for work, and I'm a data scientist at Resume Worded." That story's boring because EVERYONE in New York moved there for work.
✅ Good: "I'm a bit of a third culture kid. Grew up in Singapore and London, which explains my funny accent. Decided to move to New York for the energy and ended up falling in love with data science."
The second version gives people multiple connection points and makes you memorable.
I wrote a whole essay on introducing yourself well — and differently. Check it out, people found it very helpful.
And we’re done! I hope you enjoyed that — tell me if you did please so I know what’s resonating. Here’s to being different ✌️
