The Cat Poop Coffee of Branding

Ever heard of Indonesian cat poop coffee?

Yep, it’s real. And no, I haven’t lost my mind.

It’s called Kopi Luwak…coffee beans that have been eaten, digested, and (ahem) excreted by civet cats in Indonesia.

And here’s the kicker: people pay hundreds of dollars a pound for it.

Why? Not because it’s coffee. But because it’s coffee with a story – a bizarre, unforgettable, one-of-a-kind story that sets it apart from every other bean on the planet.

That’s the point branding expert Joan Igawa, from Emiko Design Studio, hammered home in our chat this week: Standing out isn’t about inventing something brand new, it’s about creating a version of it that’s undeniably YOURS.

🐱☕ Story Time: Why Kopi Luwak = Branding Gold

Here’s what hit me: Kopi Luwak isn’t technically a new “type” of coffee.

The beans are the same Arabica or Robusta varieties you’ll find anywhere else.

The difference? The process.

The civet cat eats the berries, enzymes break them down in a unique way, and when they come out the other end (literally) you get something transformed.

The same bean.

A totally different experience.

That’s branding in a nutshell.

You don’t need to reinvent your industry to stand out. You don’t need to invent “the next Uber” or “the Tesla of [insert your personal niche].”

You just need to take what already exists…and run it through your own process.

Think about it:

• Your backstory? That’s part of your “digestive system.”
• Your voice? That’s another enzyme.
• The way you serve, deliver, and create experiences? That’s what makes your end product something no one else can copy.

Kopi Luwak coffee sells for hundreds while regular beans sell for $15 because people aren’t just buying caffeine. They’re buying the story, the rarity, the twist.

The Lesson: Don’t Be Instant Coffee

Most entrepreneurs accidentally brand themselves like the giant tub of Folgers at Costco.

Safe. Predictable. Forgettable.

But premium clients don’t want “safe.” They want the version of your service or product that feels rare, crafted, and irreplicable.

Here’s where Joan dropped two truth bombs that I scribbled down in all caps:

1️⃣ Mediocre branding doesn’t just fail to attract. It repels.

If you blend in with the noise, you actually turn people away. (Who craves gas station coffee? Exactly.)

2️⃣ When your brand is unmistakably YOU, you stop competing on price.

You shift from being compared to everyone else, to being in a category of one.

Like Kopi Luwak, you either want that experience or you don’t. But nobody’s asking, “What’s the cheapest cat poop coffee on the shelf?”

That’s the key: differentiation isn’t about doing what no one’s done. It’s about doing it in a way no one else could.

Weekly Challenge

Look at one piece of your business this week, a service, your pitch, or even a social post.

Ask yourself: “What’s my Kopi Luwak twist on this?”

If it feels like instant coffee right now, add your enzymes. That could be your story, your style, your weird analogy, your personal process.

Make it unforgettable.

Here’s why this matters for me right now:

There are tons of “AI consultants” suddenly flooding the market.

Everyone’s talking about prompts, tools, and shortcuts. Fine. But that’s just regular coffee beans.

My Kopi Luwak twist? 

AI through the lens of building your very own Business Strategist & Manager.

It’s the role I used to play 1:1 as a service provider, running strategy, systems, and scaling behind the scenes.

Now, I’ve bottled that process into AI-powered strategy so YOU can have your own digital “business manager” working for you.

That’s my cat poop coffee.

Weird analogy? Maybe. But it’s unforgettable…and effective.

Check out all the fun details for the 7-Figure CEO System here: 

http://www.leadsmaterco.com/ceosystem

☕ Final Sip

In a crowded market, being “good” isn’t enough.

Good is forgettable. Good is instant coffee. And nobody is interested in paying for that.

Be the weird story people can’t stop talking about. Be the cat poop coffee of your industry.