If you don’t know me, my name is Jano le Roux. I run a San Francisco-based marketing agency specializing in helping startups take on monopolies using marketing that doesn’t feel like marketing.
I’ve spent the last 7 years of my life obsessing about helping brands break into heavily-monopolized industries. I’m regularly called in by publications like the New York Times and Business Insider to give my take on marketing-related matters.
I’m not telling you this to impress you.
I am telling you this because I’m about to give you the exact strategies and tactics I share with my clients in my $450/hour consultation.
My #1 marketing move to take on a market leader is:
Be radically transparent.
Let’s break down how.
Step 1: Radically break down your prices
Read. Watch. Learn. Improve.
I know.
But Jano, this gives away all my “trade secrets”.
No — it does not.
- Your competitors already know the costs.
- Your customers don’t.
And they need to.
All while making you the good guy.
This immediately makes you a threat to a market leader.
- You’re building unthinkable amounts of trust.
- You’re educating your customers on a nasty monopoly.
- You’re taking away the guesswork from the purchasing process.
You’re poking Goliath the classy way.
Step 2: Be radically transparent about your industry
Every market leader have the same weak point.
- They’re too big.
- They’re too slow.
- They’re too risk-averse.
- They’re too boring.
Just take Apple.
They’re a market leader.
They’re big which makes decisions take ages. That makes them slow to innovate. They basically repackage the same iPhone year after year with one or two changes. Why? Because if they mess with the recipe that works too much and it turns sour they’re in big sh*t. So that makes them boring.
So how do you take on Apple?
Nothing’s CEO, Carl Pei, plays right into my radical transparency playbook.
He literally reviews his competitor’s product and talks about it with 100% transparency. Even funnier — he gets an Apple Store employee to do it with him.
He compares it to his product directly and even admits when his competitor has a better feature.
- He’s not trying to position his brand as better.
- He’s positioning his brand as different.
He is clear. Nothing is not the phone for everyone.
But maybe you’re bored of the same old iPhone.
Just maybe it’s the phone for you.
Right into the radical transparency playbook.
Step 3: Be radically transparent about your process
Stop hiding behind secrets.
Create a business with glass walls.
Show them everything.
- They’re not just buying a product.
- They’re buying the process behind it.
Let’s see how this concept works with a modern example — Tesla.
- Production process openness: Tesla showed the world how they make their electric cars, from batteries to assembly lines. This transparency builds trust.
- Real-time software updates: Tesla’s cars get updates like smartphones. It’s like a gift to make their cars better, keeping customers engaged.
- Safety data sharing: Tesla reports accidents involving their Autopilot system. This honesty reinforces their commitment to safety.
- Battery Day event: Tesla holds Battery Day events, discussing their plans, including battery tech. Elon Musk openly talks about challenges and goals.
Why does Tesla’s radical transparency work?
It builds trust, educates, and engages. Tesla doesn’t just sell cars; they sell a vision of a better future.
As for competition stealing ideas, Tesla stays ahead by fostering innovation. Transparency invites collaboration and feedback, pushing the industry forward.
Sell your process — not your product.
Step 4: Be radically transparent about criticism
Haters will always be around.
But when a hater is an industry expert — don’t block them.
They’re complaining because there is something wrong with your product. Invite them in with open arms. Help them help you improve your product.
Nothing did something similar when audiophile YouTuber DMS called them out on their horrible Nothing Ear (1).
In the development of their next-generation product — instead of hating or blocking DMS — they called him in to seriously help them improve their sound quality for Nothing Ear (2).
It turns out, that this little move saved Nothing years of R&D putting its new earbuds on par with AirPods Pro 2 in terms of sound quality.
Also, admit when a product flops.
Explain why and what lessons were learned. Turn that oops into an aha moment. Share it publicly. You’re not just sweeping the issue under the rug; you’re hanging it on the wall as a teaching moment.
And here’s the cherry on top: Update your critics and your audience on the changes made. You make the critic an unsung hero in your brand story. You’re not just saying you’re better; you’re proving it. You’ve turned your critic into your collaborator, and a potential weakness into a story of improvement.
This story is a marketing piece.
Now, you’re not just transparent; you’re spellbindingly transparent.
If I can give you one piece of advice:
Open up your startup.
Transparency allows the light of truth to shine through.
And the truth breaks a monopoly.
