The mantra of “Go big or go home” is used in every possible industry from business to sports, and from gaming to personal investment. When every aspect of life is constantly pushing you to go big and get bigger, it can be alarming when someone tells you that being small isn’t actually that bad a thing to be.
Here at iVirtual Business Services, we have worked with both big organizations and small local businesses. And while there are many inherent benefits to being big, there are still many advantages if you’re not. We’ll show you why staying small doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a small fry.
Big vs. Small
Many people think that big companies and the many employees they come with usually means that the business is doing well. That is not always the case. Big companies have larger overheads and more often than not, that also means they only allow for a smaller margin of error. Conversely, a small in-house team will mean lesser consumption on the monetary budget and a higher tolerance for mistakes and iterations. Staying small also allows businesses to be more versatile in their employment strategy. When you are able to hire professionals on an as-needed basis for various projects, you can be certain that the work you need done will be completed by experts in their own field.
Being small also means you have lesser people to answer to. Big companies that have IPO-ed have to answer to not only a board of directors, but also to the general public. The speed at which decisions are made and things are getting done seem to also help us make a good case here. Given a choice between autonomy or going through layers of bureaucracy, which do you think would fare better? We say Small-1, Big-0.
It’s a small world in the world of small.
If you’ve heard of Small Business Week, and the “Support Local” movement, what you are witnessing is the immense support network and benefits of being and staying a small business. While studies have shown that consumers tend to shop for a cause, this is proving to be more than just a feel good initiative because buying from local businesses can also help to boost the economy and keeping the money circulating within the local communities.
Small businesses also tend to target audiences and customers within a specific geographic region. This proximity to your customers brings with it a whole host of intangible benefits that can eventually translate into tangible profits for your business. By know who you’re working with, and can translate into other benefits such as helping you in the refinement of your business or marketing strategy. It may even define how you improve your products or services in time to come! The value of keeping your customers close can’t be overstated.
Sweat the small stuff.
Being small allows the enormous boon of focus. Focus, while seemingly abstract, can be a very powerful thing if harnessed right. In business talk, being able to focus on the little details that matter means you’ll always know where you’re going, what you’ll need to do to get there, and the shortest and surest path to achieving your objectives. Where people say “Don’t sweat the small stuff”, we fully recommend doing so in this instance.
A wise person once said that the best things come in small packages. Choosing to start or remain as a small business is the same – they are small entities that pack a whole lot of punch under its wrapping paper. Big truly isn’t always better!