You look the same as your competitors!

Mark Sampson, founder of Bellyf and creator of the CORE Difference framework, shares his entrepreneurial journey and insights into business differentiation. He recounts his early career path, initially aspiring to be an actor but moving into computing at his father's advice. His first IBM job involved tedious data cleaning, a task he notes AI could easily handle today. After stints at various tech companies, he transitioned to sales at an IBM reseller, where he observed a common problem: overflowing email inboxes with large attachments causing server issues. Recognizing an unaddressed need, Mark and a coworker eventually launched their own business to solve this. Despite financial success, he realized the company was 'philosophically broken' due to a lack of defined non-negotiables between the founders, leading to internal conflicts upon scaling.

This experience led him to develop the 'CORE Difference' framework, emphasizing that while 90% of what companies do is similar to competitors, the remaining 10% is unique. This unique differentiator is built on understanding a company's Customer (who they are for), Origin (their backstory), Reason (their purpose beyond profit), and Ethos (their culture and behavior). Mark asserts that the biggest mistake businesses make is failing to define and articulate this CORE Difference. He references Ben Horowitz's idea that 'the story is the strategy,' highlighting that powerful narratives, not just features, drive connection.

He criticizes the common sales approach of broadly targeting 'anybody with a pulse or money' and relying on feature-based comparisons. Instead, he advocates for identifying an 'enemy' – a problem or alternative solution that the company actively fights against, much like Salesforce targeted on-premise software. This creates a compelling point of view that humanizes the business and resonates deeply with an ideal buyer. While AI tools can analyze vast amounts of data and even help generate content, Mark believes they also increase the pressure to stand out. The true impact of sales and marketing comes from the leader's ability to shine a light on their company's unique story and foster genuine human connection. He now primarily works with growth-stage ventures (8-80 people, $1-10 million revenue) to help them clarify their CORE, arguing that understanding and communicating this core identity is essential for navigating growth, aligning teams, and connecting authentically with prospects beyond superficial facts and features.