Small is fast, flexible and nimble

On my way back from my dinner yesterday, I saw a cat trying to prey on a rat. I stopped walking to observe what will happen, expecting an exciting chase and ferocious battle, hoping to get some real life urban National Geographic Channel stuff. :)

The cat was fat, being well fed by the aunties from my flat who has nothing else to do everyday but feed stray cats.

Once the cat started its chase, the rat very quickly scampered under a car, and then into the drains. The fat cat had no chance.

So there was no exciting chase. No Geographic Channel to watch. :(

Today’s economy and technology allows small teeny companies to do big things. And remaining small keeps you quick, flexible to change and nimble. The obsession about building bigger companies, getting bigger offices, and hiring more is almost pointless. Getting fed by big projects will give you a whole lot of ego, but it will make you fat and cost you more too.

And when you are stuck giving credit to a big companies that take eons to pay their (big) bills, that is where your (big) problems begin.

Today, because of technology and worldwide distribution, we see the disintegrating of “mass market”. When there is no mass market, how well do you think mass marketing (in the TV and papers) will do? By staying small, you don’t need mass marketing, because you don’t need mass customers. You can craft specific campaigns to appeal to specific potential customers.

We should focus on getting better, not bigger. Serve a small niche of customers and have them in a head over heels relationship with you, instead of reaching out to the masses and have “transactions” with them. Think big, but stay small