Small is a Weapon, Not an Excuse
So said Seth Godin, in a post about his experience dealing with a small vendor through Amazon. Seth goes on to say a few things that I have been screaming about for years when it comes to small vs. big businesses.
In his post he says:
“The web is a great equalizer. A tiny business can have a better website than a huge one. A tiny business can do better customer support than a big one. A tiny business can write a better newsletter than a big one. Maybe not for everyone, but everyone is for the big companies. The passionate minority is happy to embrace the small company. As long as they focus and don’t whine about it.”
Blogs are probably the best example of this today – more than any other business I can think of. We are going to see more of this theory exemplified with those who are micro publishers.
Snap.
The world of big box corporate is coming to an end. I used to work for some big companies and would get sick at all the dead wood sitting around doing nothing.
For me, large equals waste and lethargy. You can’t get away from it. Things take too long to do anything because people get long in the tooth. I’ve sold to and worked with many big, Fortune 500 businesses and have seen it in 9 out of 10 organizations.
It is a rare manager and an even rarer business unit that can get things done. It is amazing that Microsoft was able to release Vista – AT ALL. I don’t think we’ll ever see another operating system come out of Microsoft before Bill Gates Dies.
I heard a great speech once by the CEO’s of INTEL and CISCO. John Chambers and Andy Groves. Two very smart, powerful dudes.
Groves said, “It’s no longer that the large will eat the small, its that the fast will beat the slow”.
I thought that was a great statement and to it I would add, “Provided companies remain nimble as they grow”.
That, my friends is the sine qua non of managing growth and speed.
Until then, I love what Seth said about how to position your size – it is a weapon to succeed with, not an excuse to fail with.
This is an interesting topic for me…what do you think? Do you or have you worked for a big company? A small one?
Does size matter?
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About the Author: I value good design, growth, effectiveness, simplicity, profitability, lots of sleep, tons of laughter and above all, freedom. If it makes money - it's a business. If it doesn't make money - it's a hobby. Period.
Cole | Jul 30, 2008 | Reply
Sadly, I have seen plenty of wasted time and lethargy in small companies, too – the sluggards just have to be more cunning to keep from being caught.
You make very valid points that I agree with completely, but I would add the vanishing or nearly extinct work ethic to the list of maladies harming many businesses – large and small. The modern generation’s, “I want a lot of money for as little work as possible – assuming I show up at all” mentality has placed America’s businesses in peril.
As a former manager in both large and small organizations, finding the “cream of the crop” to hire was a labor-intensive, frustrating experience. For most companies, their single biggest expenditure is their payroll and the constant influx and outflow of employees is killer not only in terms of product/service continuity, but also in training costs that never lead to a fruitful worker!
Case in point, my local Wal-Mart has been open less than two years, yet they have gone through five store managers. Further, I am told that 1/3 of their applicants fail the drug screening. Another third decide to quit because there is more effort involved in working than they are willing to expend. Thus, the store runs on a fraction of the staff it needs, leading to very long lines and widespread customer dissatisfaction. If it weren’t for their cheap prices, I would never pass through their doors!
Thus, I find myself turning more and more to the internet to purchase just about everything except groceries. Further, I would much rather do business with (and work for) a small organization because it is easier to reach a “live” person for support and they generally have to provide a higher level of service to successfully compete with the “big boys”. Long live the internet as the great equalizer!
BTW, this is a great blog and I enjoy reading what you have to say. Thanks for the fresh, intelligent content! [Perfect illustrative photo, too - I love pups!]