Why Being Average Is the Most Expensive Mistake an Entrepreneur Can Make

Dr. Niklas Richter · 2026-09-11

### The Hidden Cost of Blending In What if the most expensive thing you could do as an entrepreneur isn't a bad investment or a failed product? It's being average. That's the core argument from Dries Henau and Yuri Vandenbogaerde, two Belgian entrepreneurs who've spent over 15 years building, selling, and rebuilding brands together. They've launched WASBAR, Chez Claire, and Ambassy — and sold every single one. Each time, they put their own money and their own risk on the line. Today, through their firm The Brand Guys, they create complete brand concepts for hotels and food brands worldwide. Their work on the Boardwalk Hotel in Aruba earned two Michelin Keys — not because they threw money at it, but because they stayed relentlessly consistent with the brand and the guest experience. Their message is simple but uncomfortable: the world has settled for average, and that's exactly why standing out is more valuable than ever. ### The Three Strategies That Actually Work Dries and Yuri argue there are only three ways to compete: - Be the cheapest option available - Shout the loudest to get noticed - Be so clear about who you are that customers never think of going anywhere else Most businesses drift into a fourth, unspoken strategy: being forgettable. And that, they say, is the most expensive position you can occupy. They saw this firsthand when they turned a hotel into an adults-only property. It felt risky. Scary, even. But the results spoke for themselves — occupancy went up, and so did rates. Clarity, it turns out, pays. > "We do so much for so many, but what do we actually stand for?" — the question every entrepreneur eventually faces. ### Lessons From Their Mistakes What makes their perspective credible is that they don't pretend to have it all figured out. They openly share where they went wrong: - When they sold WASBAR, they accepted a deferred payment structure they should have walked away from. - They once turned away an investor who came knocking — too young and too arrogant to have the conversation. - Every time they tried to build a team, their own perfectionism got in the way. These aren't just war stories. They're reminders that growth often means letting go of control and learning to trust the process — and other people. ### An AI Tool Built From Real Experience Here's something new: Dries and Yuri are building an AI tool trained on every brand journey they've ever completed. It contains their full methodology and way of thinking. The goal? To give smaller entrepreneurs — the ones who'd never qualify for their COBRA program — access to the same framework that's helped Belgian SMEs and family businesses find their unique place in the market. It's a fascinating shift. The same strategic thinking that guided a safari camp in the Masai Mara back to life could soon be available to a one-person operation in Ohio. ### The Real Question If you've ever felt like you're doing a lot for a lot of people but aren't sure what you truly stand for, you're not alone. That's the moment Dries and Yuri built their careers around. Being average isn't safe. It's just slow. And in a world where attention is scarce and trust is earned, the cost of blending in might be the highest price you ever pay.