Average Is the Most Expensive Thing an Entrepreneur Can Do

Dr. Niklas Richter · 2026-09-11

### The Cost of Playing It Safe What if the safest choice is actually the most expensive one? That's the provocative idea Dries Henau and Yuri Vandenbogaerde bring to the table. They've been building businesses together for over fifteen years—both as partners and as friends. They built WASBAR and sold it. Built Chez Claire and sold it. Built Ambassy and sold it. Each time, they put their own money on the line. No safety net. Just a hunch and a whole lot of hustle. Today, through The Brand Guys, they craft total concepts for hotels and food brands around the world. The Boardwalk Hotel in Aruba earned two Michelin Keys—not by chasing trends, but by obsessing over brand and experience. They breathed new life into a safari camp in the Masai Mara. And through their COBRA program, they help small and family businesses find their unique spot in the market. ### Three Strategies—And Only Three In this conversation, Dries and Yuri break down why the world has become so painfully average. And why that mediocrity is the most expensive strategy of all. They argue there are only three ways to win: - Be the cheapest. - Shout the loudest. - Or be so clear that customers never think of anyone else. Most businesses fall somewhere in the middle. They're not cheap enough to compete on price, not loud enough to dominate attention, and not distinct enough to be unforgettable. That's the average trap. And it's costing them more than they realize. ### When a Hotel Went Adults-Only They share the story of a hotel that decided to go adults-only. It felt scary. Really scary. Would guests still come? Would they lose a chunk of their audience? But something surprising happened. Occupancy went up. Prices went up. And the brand finally had a clear identity. Sometimes, the bold move isn't just the right one—it's the profitable one. ### Owning Your Mistakes Dries and Yuri don't shy away from their missteps. They admit they accepted a payment plan when selling WASBAR that they never should have. They turned away an investor who knocked on their door because they were too young and too arrogant to have the conversation. And they confess that building a team kept stalling because of their own perfectionism. These aren't just war stories. They're lessons in what it takes to grow—and what it costs to stay stuck. ### A First: AI Meets Their Methodology Here's something new. They're building an AI tool trained on every project they've ever done. It captures their entire methodology and way of thinking. The goal? To let smaller entrepreneurs—those who can't afford COBRA—still use their framework. It's a bold move to democratize what they've learned. This conversation is for any entrepreneur who's ever thought: we do so much for so many, but what do we really stand for? > "Average is the most expensive thing you can do. You pay for it every single day—in lost customers, lost margin, and lost meaning." If you're ready to stop being average and start being unforgettable, this one's for you.