Writen by Marsha Maung
I remember some time back, say…about 15 years ago or so…I thought that a company has to be big in order for it to be efficient. Now, with the rapid growth of the Internet, things have changed. Now, a company need not be BIG, MASSIVE and employ THOUSANDS of people all over the world in order to be efficient and famous. Let's look at it this way…first thing first, all companies that are successful today either started miniscule or from the home/farm/backyard. During their early days as one-man-shows, they gained a fierce reputation and generated a lot of sales not because they were big. It was because they were good that these then-small companies grew to a point that they had to be bigger in order to meet consumer demands.
So, in short, we don't have to be big in order to be good or in order to be efficient. There are many good things about being a small business. The first thing I have to mention is the overhead cost. Because we're small businesses, our overhead reflects the size of our company. And because our overhead is low, we can offer better rates! And customers love it when we pass on the savings to them – wouldn't you?
When you're a small business, you also have the ability to focus…to zoom in on making the best product ever in your industry. For instance, if you have a baking company, you can focus on making the world's best pastry. Now, being good is not enough. Being the best is our target. So, when we have the time to focus on making the world's BEST PASTRY, we will get there some day. Large corporations need MANY people to focus on one thing because they are too diversified.
And of course, most of us work either alone or with one or two others, there are not as many red tapes and procedures to carry out before an action can be. Let me tell you this, having to go through nonsensical procedures just to send out a letter is NO FUN. In fact, it's frustrating and counter-productive! So, this is another huge advantage small businesses have over big corporations. And since there are only a few of us in the business, social politics is minimal…if not eliminated.
We don't need fancy carpeted and air-conditioned board rooms, meeting rooms, bathrooms and office space to be efficient! The best place to work is the most comfortable place…and that is home. If you're in the business alone and if you're disciplined enough, you WILL enjoy working from home. And besides, for parents, they can be there with their kids while working as well. The key to small business successful operating out of small homes, condos and apartments is this…learn to draw the line. If the line is distinct and clear, you'll get somewhere some day.
One thing most corporate figures hate most is the traveling and the traffic. We spend so much time on the road trying to get from point A to point B everyday that we lose so much precious time. For small businesses, there's sometimes no worry about traffic congestion. If you're working from home, you don't really need to travel, do you? If you have a small office somewhere else, you can choose to leave for work earlier or later to beat the traffic.
Aha! The most amazing thing about a small business is the efficiency of using online tools to communicate with literally anyone all over the world. For example, instant messengers, free chat programs, online conference rooms, online payment gateways…etc. As you can see, we save quite a bit of money and time this way and as a result, our price is always lower than our bigger competitors.
So, if someone tells you that you HAVE TO be big in order to succeed, give them the above examples and see what they have to say.
All the best to your small company!
Marsha Maung is a freelance graphic designer and copy writer who works from her home in Selangor, Malaysia. She loves nothing more than blowing bubbles in the park with her 2 kids, Joshua and Jared. She designs apparel and premium items at http://www.allmomstuff.com and is the author of "Raising little magicians", and the popular "The Lance in freelancing". More information can be found at http://www.marshamaung.com.
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