Would You Buy a Bright Blue Banana?

The Truth About Standing Out in Business

There’s a business fantasy that we all secretly buy into.

We like to believe that our product, service, and business are special. Different. Unique.

A Bright Blue Banana in a world of boring yellow ones.

But let’s be honest—if you saw a bright blue banana in a shop, would you actually buy it? Or would you pick up a familiar yellow one because it feels safer and more predictable?

This is the reality of standing out in business. People say they want something different but often hesitate when faced with it.

And here’s the uncomfortable truth:

Most businesses aren’t Bright Blue Bananas.

They’re just slightly bruised yellow bananas—familiar, safe, and ultimately… forgettable.

And here’s the worst part: many people are wonderful with that.

They say they want to stand out. But deep down? They’d rather blend in.

People Say They Want One Thing—But They Really Want Something Else

Let’s talk about coffee.

There are certain people (you’ve probably met them) who march into a café, chest puffed out, and order the strongest, blackest coffee available.

No milk. No sugar. It's just pure, unfiltered, jet-fuel-grade masculinity in a cup.

And yet…

If you put those same people in a blind taste test, guess what? They overwhelmingly prefer a mellow, smooth, and slightly sweet coffee.

Because what people say they want and what they actually enjoy are often two very different things.

And this isn’t just about coffee.

It happens in business, too.

People come to me saying, “I need more leads. My Google Ads aren’t working.”

They think the solution is fixing their marketing—pumping more traffic into the system.

But the real issue isn’t the ads when I look under the bonnet.

🚨 The real issue?
❌ They don’t have a follow-up system in place.
❌ No one is answering the phone when leads do come in.
❌ They’re haemorrhaging customers simply because they aren’t responding fast enough.

So, more leads won’t fix the problem.

It’s like asking for a faster horse when what you really need is a car.

The Henry Ford ‘Faster Horse’ Problem

There’s an old story about Henry Ford, the man who revolutionised the car industry.

Someone once asked him why he didn’t just build what people wanted.

Ford’s response?
"If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse."

And he was right.

People could only imagine improving what they already had—they weren’t thinking about what was actually possible.

No one was asking for cars. They were asking for a slightly improved version of the status quo.

And that’s precisely what happens in business today.

Customers say they want Feature X, but they actually need Solution Y.
They ask for more leads, but they need a system to handle the leads they already have.

The best businesses don’t just take customer requests at face value—they figure out what’s really going on underneath.

Your Business Might Not Be as Different as You Think

Here’s where it gets interesting.

Most businesses think they’re offering a Bright Blue Banana.

They believe they have something new, exciting, and fresh.

But what they’re actually selling is just… a slightly bruised yellow banana.

A marginally tweaked version of what already exists.

Why? Because standing out is uncomfortable.

• It’s easier to blend in than to be genuinely unconventional.

• It’s safer to offer what people expect rather than challenge them with something they didn’t know they needed.

• It feels more intelligent to tweak an existing idea rather than build something that doesn’t yet exist.

And yet—the businesses that genuinely thrive are the ones who stop playing it safe.

They don’t tinker around the edges—they reinvent the rules.

They don’t just offer a better banana—they change the entire fruit bowl.

How to Make Sure You Actually Have a Bright Blue Banana

If you really want to stand out, ask yourself:

✅ Are you solving the real problem or just the problem customers say they have?
✅ Would people immediately notice if your business disappeared tomorrow?
✅ Are you actually different or just marketing yourself as different?

The best businesses don’t just follow what people say they want—they figure out what they actually need.

So, would you really buy a Bright Blue Banana? Or would you pick the safe, slightly bruised yellow one?

🚀 Your move.