5 reasons why you should build a small business - not a startup

I know we all want to do important things. We all want to work on important products, establish important companies and solve tasks that can change the world and have a huge impact on it. In the entrepreneurial and technical community, this is noticeably more than anywhere else.

The question we ask if we hear about a new business or an idea, be it renewable energy, or an instant messenger, or a bloody sleigh for hamsters, is this:
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Is it scalable?

And then, if we understand that the idea we are looking at cannot instantly scale to a million users and not turn into a billion-dollar enterprise, we reject it. Sometimes we even laugh at her. When we do this, we can be considered idiots. Because the foundation of a large, branched, sophisticated, diaphoretic technology company is not a panacea, we do not become fools if we decide not to go this route.

In fact, it is possible that moving in the opposite direction will make you happier, healthier, richer and much wiser. You can choose to create a small online business, rather than a startup “unicorn”. What is the difference between them?

• The startup “unicorn” wants to grow quickly and strongly, receive investments and win leadership.
• A small online business wants to grow in clear limits, achieve profitability and serve customers.

Intuitively, it may seem a mistake not to strive for more. However, I believe that in this approach there are pluses that pay back the efforts.

You can focus on simplicity.

You build something small, with clear limits and boundaries. No one needs to add new features, and you can focus on the details that are important to you and your customers. Creating products that remain simple, almost no one of the large and constantly growing companies. Small business has no such problem.

People mean more

As long as your business remains small, you can spend more time with people who are really important to your business. Regardless of whether you have one employee or five, they will be more important than when you hire more people, trying to support the growth of the company. Small business - about people.

Business remains human

I like to feel personalized in business and product. But it can not be saved if you are killed, trying to become a huge very cool corporation. But when you build something small, there is always time for something personal. You can take the time to give your users and customers a little bit of magic each time.

Small does not mean poor

If your product is small, like your company, it does not necessarily mean that you are going to make a donut hole and die in poverty. Undoubtedly, you will earn less. But you have a much better chance of building a company for a million than a billion dollars. Small size means less overhead, lower costs - and it gives you the opportunity to keep all the profits inside your company and in your own pocket.

You do not have to always remain a small company.

If you want to grow, you will be much more likely to do so from a managerial position in a successful, profitable small company. When you already have a well-known product and cash flow, you are not only more attractive to future investors, but you can finance your growth even from your own pocket. Not to mention the fact that you will have a lot of knowledge and experience that can facilitate scaling.

Some people call it bootstrapping, but I look at it from the other side. For me, bootstrapping simply means self-financing a company. Starting a small business, we finance a company, set boundaries and limits, understand our product or service and their function, and work on planning and observing all installations.

If you decide to go this route, you will not become a billionaire. But you can be a very happy millionaire. And I really like this option.