May 19, 2013

The 7 benefits of being small

molly published this at 3:00 am

One of my favorite movies of all time features a trampoline, a creepy antique carnival soothsayer and one of the most romantic songs ever recorded. The movie’s protagonist, Josh Baskin, trapped within his pre-pubescent prison, yearns to be Big.

Isn’t that a common yearning for us all when we launch our businesses and organizations? Don’t we all wish that we had unlimited budgets, plush offices in some groovy building and an ability to dominate the market?

If only we didn’t have to decide whether to pay ourselves a salary or stock up on paper clips. If only we could order a whole quarter’s worth of toner instead of extricating the cartridge from the copier and banging it upside the machine, trying to coax one last ream from it before it expires completely?

Firmly within the throes of Grass Is Greener Syndrome, we wistfully long for the day when we can escape necessity-led scrimping and daily MacGyvering.

Of course, if we spend too much time envying and projecting the assumed Wonderfulness of Being Big, we’re in danger of not appreciating the Power of Being Puny.

I really love movies, and so I’ll cite a couple of other epic examples of Nimble versus Behemoth (or David versus Goliath, depending on your point of reference). The first has to do with an X-Wing, a plucky fighter pilot with some serious Force Mojo and a big honkin’ moon-sized space station of destruction.

Or the Battle of Helms Deep, when the whole she-bang falls because of a grate, an over confident king and a well-placed mutant Orc bearing explosives.

Using a business example, according to Saul Kaplan, author and Chief Catalyst at the Business Innovation Factory, Blockbuster got “Netflixed“ by a small start up that saw a niche that wasn’t being filled and built something from nothing to topple a giant in the market place.

Time and again, the power of being small lies with being strategic, focused and responsive in a way a lumbering giant of an organization cannot. It’s true that you can’t turn the Queen Mary around on a dime (that is one big ship!). Same with organizations.

There are certainly benefits to being Big, don’t get me wrong. However, remember that great oaks don’t arrive on this planet 35 feet tall and in full leaf. They grow from acorns. Embrace the power of being small even as you aspire to becoming big.

How about you? What are your biggest (no pun intended) challenges of being a smaller business? How do you overcome them? What successes can you share with us?

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Molly Cantrell-Kraig is a woman with drive. Possessing an innate sense of purpose and a pragmatic, solution-based approach to empowering people, she fused these two traits in order to establish Women With Drive Foundation. Based upon its founder’s personal history, Women With Drive Foundation is a means through which Cantrell-Kraig may effect change on both a micro and macro level. By providing women with something as essential as personal transportation in order to transition them from poverty to prosperity, she, through Women With Drive Foundation, seeks to empower women to help them help themselves. Through this action, the individual applicant benefits, as does society as a whole. Follow Molly on twitter as @mckra1g or @WWDr1ve (Women With Drive Foundation).

Filed under leadership / management, Motivation-Inspiration, Successful Blog | 19 Comments »


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19 Comments to “The 7 benefits of being small”

  1. June 17th, 2012 at 9:04 am
    Michele Price (@prosperitygal) said

    Great post and love the analogies ( being one who loves finding business lessons in movie plots)

    Biggest challenge is balancing all the hats you must wear even when they are not your strength. Yeah, I know about hiring and the budget is not always there for that – so you do your best.

    Successes have been fun to show businesses by “doing” and then calling them up and saying – that is how it is done. When would you like to get those results?

  2. June 17th, 2012 at 9:16 am
    molly said

    Good points all around, Michele!

    The challenge of hat-wearing is universal and essential to overcome in order to flourish. My best experiences with this one? Learning where my gaps in knowledge lie enable me to reach out to others and form a network that supplies what I lack. Admitting my “weakness” allows another’s strength to make me more effective and ultimately help more people.

    Thanks so much for chiming in! I appreciate you. :D

  3. June 17th, 2012 at 10:22 am
    RYCJ said

    Liz’s runs one of the best blogs around the blogosphere hemisphere, frequently featuring great guest posts, but this is one of the best. I write and publish books, in which despite the seemingly large industry, reading and readers I’ve always found to be a very small niche. This is what makes this post really becoming and easy to appreciate.

    Thank you Liz. And thanks Molly.

  4. June 17th, 2012 at 10:38 am
    molly said

    How very kind of you to say, R.

    Liz is a gracious person and I value the opportunity to “meet” people such as yourself through her platform.

    I hope you have a wonderful day! Best, M. :)

  5. June 17th, 2012 at 11:51 pm
    Sandra Fernandez (@SandraSays) said

    “Fewer layers of bureaucracy.” So true. This is a great post. I agree that sometimes it’s the smaller organizations, the ones with less red tape, that are able to be bold and dynamic. We could all learn from that.

  6. June 18th, 2012 at 5:00 am
    Glenn said

    The biggest problem I would say is being able to get to a point where you have enough money coming in on auto-pilot so you can concentrate on new ideas and moving forward.

    Also, making sure that whilst you’re small you still consider how your services could scale if the need arises. If you can’t scale, then you’ll be stuck and following a pointless exercise.

  7. June 18th, 2012 at 6:15 am
    Andy @ FirstFound said

    I mostly agree with this, but you missed a prime advantage of being small.

    I’m 6ft 7″. That means that I’m marginally taller than every door frame in my house.

    Being small means you don’t smack your head as much.
    ;)

  8. June 18th, 2012 at 7:16 am
    molly said

    Ha! Good point, Andy. ;) I’m 5’2″ and completely understand. Of course, you’re the sort of guy I ask to reach for stuff at the grocery (instead of scaling the shelves myself).

    It’s awesome to appreciate our differences. Thanks for the smile today. My best, M.

  9. June 18th, 2012 at 8:35 am
    molly said

    Thanks Sandra! Death By Committee is a very real liability in larger organization. Decisiveness and implementation with fewer layers can be an asset.

    I appreciate your taking the time to comment today! Best, M. :)

  10. June 18th, 2012 at 8:38 am
    molly said

    Glenn, you make a solid point. There has to be a moment when critical mass pushes an organization over the edge if they wish to scale. Consistent cash flow is like that – it’s analogous to a car not having enough gasoline when it wishes to accelerate. If the fuel (cash) isn’t there, then it can’t propel itself forward.

    I also see scaling/growing your business/projection in mountain-climbing terms. When climbing a mountain, you look up and secure your pitons where you wish to put your weight (focus). Having those projected outliers gives you the leverage to ascend/grow.

    Great comments! Thanks, M. :D

  11. June 18th, 2012 at 10:57 am
    Sheryl Schuff said

    I know exactly what you mean, but never heard it described before as “the power of being puny.”

    What a great choice of words. Thanks for a great article.

  12. June 22nd, 2012 at 3:02 pm
    Michael said

    We always have to start off small before we can make it big. That applies in life. It all start with who you are and all the good strengths you have.

  13. July 2nd, 2012 at 10:26 pm
    mckra1g said

    Thanks Sheryl! I appreciate your taking the time to comment! Best, M. :)

  14. July 2nd, 2012 at 10:27 pm
    mckra1g said

    Well said, Michael! Building from our strengths is key. Thanks so much for your contribution! Best, M. :)

  15. July 19th, 2012 at 4:55 am
    Why You Must Never Stop Innovating | The Small Business Storyteller said

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  16. July 27th, 2012 at 7:15 am
    TSB Small Biz Weekly Roundup 7-20-12 | Talking Small Biz said

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  17. December 7th, 2012 at 7:57 pm
    My 100 Favorite Posts of 2012 said

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  18. May 20th, 2013 at 9:06 pm
    Chris Buechner said

    Great read and great advice

  19. May 21st, 2013 at 12:01 pm
    Mash Bonigala said

    Molly, great post! I had followed this concept right from the word go and after almost 14 years, we are still small and agile and yet manage to work with fortune 500 companies.

    Great read!

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