Why Being Average Costs Entrepreneurs More Than You Think

Dr. Niklas Richter · 2026-09-11

### The Hidden Cost of Blending In Dries Henau and Yuri Vandenbogaerde have been building businesses together for over 15 years—both professionally and personally. Their track record? They built WASBAR and sold it. Built Chez Claire and sold it. Built Ambassy and sold it. Each time, they used their own money and took on all the risk. Today, through The Brand Guys, they create complete concepts for hotels and food brands worldwide. The Boardwalk Hotel in Aruba earned two Michelin Keys simply by consistently focusing on brand and experience. They revived a safari camp in the Masai Mara. And through their COBRA program, they help small and medium-sized businesses in Flanders find their unique market position. In this conversation, they explain why the world has become average, why that's the most expensive thing an entrepreneur can do, and why there are only three strategies: be the cheapest, shout the loudest, or be so clear that customers never think of anyone else. ### The Three Strategies (And Why Only One Works Long-Term) - **Be the cheapest:** You'll always be undercut by someone else. It's a race to the bottom. - **Shout the loudest:** You'll burn through your marketing budget and still be forgotten. - **Be so clear that customers never think of anyone else:** This is the only sustainable strategy. It requires you to be unmistakably you. Dries and Yuri have lived this. They talk about how one hotel became adults-only—how terrifying that felt—and what happened to occupancy and prices afterward. (Spoiler: they went up.) > "We do so much for so many, but what do we really stand for?" — a question every entrepreneur should ask. ### When You Get It Wrong (And You Will) They're honest about their mistakes. When they sold WASBAR, they accepted a staggered payment they never should have agreed to. They turned away an investor who knocked on their door because they were too young and too arrogant to have the conversation. And building a team kept stalling because of their own perfectionism. These aren't just war stories. They're lessons in what it costs to be average—or to think you're above the basics. ### A First: AI That Captures Their Entire Methodology They're building an AI tool trained on every trajectory they've ever done. It contains their complete methodology and way of thinking. The goal? To help smaller entrepreneurs who can't afford COBRA still use their framework. This is for every entrepreneur who has ever thought: we do so much for so many, but where do we really stand? ### The Bottom Line Being average is expensive. It costs you customers, pricing power, and your unique identity. The alternative isn't easy—it's scary and uncomfortable. But it's the only way to build something that lasts. *This is episode 136 of The Brand Guys. Subscribe and leave a 5-star review if you find these conversations valuable.* *Thanks to our partners: Teamleader, Victus Sales (download their free sales guide at victussales.be/ondernemer), and Blackbird Business (strategic training and trajectories to reach your company's full potential at blackbirdevents.be).*