Launching a business into the middle of a trend creates an immediate problem the founder has to solve deliberately: what the business becomes once the trend passes. Founders who build a genuine identity and quality standard beneath the trend, rather than depending on the trend itself for their appeal, are the ones still operating once the initial wave of attention moves elsewhere.
A trend brings early attention and easier customer acquisition, but it also brings a crowd of competitors entering for the same reason, which makes a distinct identity more important in a trending category, not less.
A trend provides a starting audience, not a durable position
Entering a category while it is popular makes finding early customers easier, but the same popularity attracts competitors and sets an expiry date on that easy attention, meaning the business still needs a reason for customers to choose it specifically once the category stops being novel.
Authenticity means building what the founder actually believes in
A business built around what its founder genuinely values, rather than what happens to be commercially fashionable, holds its direction more consistently through changing conditions, since its identity does not depend on external circumstances that will inevitably shift.
Quality is what remains when the novelty has gone
Once a category’s novelty fades and customers become more discerning, the businesses that retain customers are the ones whose actual product quality justifies the choice, rather than those that relied on category excitement to drive initial trial.
Periodic brand refreshes keep an authentic identity current
Staying authentic does not mean never changing, a periodic brand refresh that updates presentation while keeping the underlying identity and values intact keeps a business feeling current without abandoning what makes it distinct.
Frequently asked questions
Is launching a business into a trending category a mistake?
Not inherently, it makes early customer acquisition easier, but it requires deliberately building an identity and quality standard beneath the trend so the business has a reason to exist once the trend passes.
Why does a distinct identity matter more in a trending category?
Because the same popularity that makes customers easy to find also attracts a crowd of competitors, meaning the business needs a specific reason for customers to choose it rather than any of the new entrants.
What does building an authentic business actually mean in practice?
Building around what the founder genuinely values rather than what is commercially fashionable, which keeps the business’s direction consistent through changing conditions since its identity does not depend on external circumstances.
What retains customers once a category’s novelty fades?
Actual product quality, since customers become more discerning as excitement fades, and businesses that relied on category novelty rather than quality to drive trial struggle to retain those customers afterwards.
Does staying authentic mean a brand should never change its look?
No. A periodic brand refresh that updates presentation while preserving the underlying identity and values keeps a business current without abandoning what makes it distinct.
Further reading
Originally published in July 2017. Updated September 2026 and rewritten in house voice, keeping the original authenticity-over-trends argument intact.
