Differentiating via FEATURES part 1:
Before 1837 farmers had to lead horsedrawn iron plows through hard packed dirt just to get seeds in the ground. In the Midwest sticky clay soil gummed up the process. Farmers had to stop every few feet to scour the plow again and again. After hours of hard, gummy scouring each day, a farmer just might begin loathing the land.
Then a blacksmith moved from Vermont to Illinois. Quickly seeing the problem, he builds a solution. With stainless steel sides, his Scourless Plow can cut quick through the acres. A farmer buys it. He tells his friends. They buy and tell their friends in turn. This plow, the first of its kind, becomes a runaway hit.
Smartly, this blacksmith files a patent to become the only guy in the country who can build and sell these "scourless plows". Saving hours each day, his plow offers a Feature his competitors don't have.
This blacksmith's name was John Deere. His plow and its profits became an empire, making his grandchildren's grandchildren still rich indeed. Even today, when it comes time to till soil, you'll still hear his STORY as we all are reminded, "Nothing Runs like a Deere."
Even though the scourless plow is no longer relevant, and Deere's original STUFF has all rusted away, this STORY has outlived the patent by a century and a half. It's likely to go much longer. The STORY is so well crafted, and the STUFF such a well drawn part of it, they're still building wealth.
Differentiating via FEATURES is powerful and allows for global growth. Don't worry if it takes time to create. You've got time. And once your STUFF offers Features the competitors can't, you get to smile and coast for awhile. And as you coast, craft a STORY they'll never forget.