Getting to Scale

CHAPTER FIVEBuild Your Values into the Brand

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DESPITE THE DIVERSITY of the businesses I interviewed, the vast majority shared one important competitive strategy: differentiation. A handful were engaged in head-to-head competition on price, but most had managed to carve out unique market positions with superior margins that could be used to cover the “extra” costs of their environmental and social commitments.

In some cases, such as the entire organic-foods sector, the interests of producers and consumers are directly aligned. It usually costs ...