I’m sorry, Houston, but we have a problem.
Of all the weird wiring society has dumped on us, Go Big or Go Home is the most twisted. And it’s everywhere.
Go big in fitness.
Go big in business.
Go big in money, cars, sports, homes, and chest size.
And media loves Go Big celebrities. Like Jim Carry, who wrote a cheque to himself for $10 million and carried it around until the day he could afford to cash it.
Or Elizabeth Gilbert’s rise from obscurity to Oprah-Sanctioned celebrity and joining Time magazine’s list of 100 most influential people in the world.
The list goes on, with the likes of: Steve Jobs, Travis Kalanick (Uber), Elon Musk (Tesla), Brian Chesky (AirBNB) and J.K. Rowling. No small thinkers among them.
There’s only one problem. Go Big presumes there’s something wrong with Go Small.
Go Big presumes there’s something wrong with Go Small. Click To TweetMeet Walter.
Walter’s Ski Shack
When I was a hard-core whitewater paddler, living in North Vancouver, Walter’s Ski Shack was where we went for boat repairs and a little unsolicited philosophy. “Don’t be crazy!” Walter Buchmuller would grumble in his deep Swiss accent “The water will be there tomorrow.”
Stepping into the dimly-lit store (complete with tiny Swiss bells on the door that jingled as you entered) you were assaulted by the stench of open cans of resin that seems to permeate everything. No bigger than your typical shoe store – walls were stacked to the rafters with kayaks, paddles, skis, poles and life jackets. At Walter’s there were no seasons—everything was on sale, year-round.

And then there was Walter.
Short, stocky, typically unshaven and no-nonsense, Walter was quick to chastise you for abusing your equipment and just as quick to wave a hand and tell you there was no charge. I’d drop by even if I hadn’t smashed my kayak or needed more ski wax.
Walter’s was a safe haven to get repairs, have a friendly conversation and feel welcomed—it worked by going small.
Small Giants
In Small Giants – Companies that choose to be great instead of big, author Bo Burlingham took a distinctly non-good-to-great approach by examining and celebrating the success of small business. As he described them: “Most are growing, often in unconventional ways, but several have chosen not to grow at all, and a few have made conscious decisions to scale back their operations.”
Small Giants is a refreshing read if you have a small baby of your own and wondering how much to feed it.
“There are thousands of private companies that don’t grow much, if at all;” writes Burlingham, “and they don’t die either. On the contrary, they’re often quite healthy.”
“There are thousands of companies that don’t grow much, if at all…they’re often quite healthy. - Bo Burlingham” Click To TweetI make a great income, and…
As we approach year end, I’m looking at my plans and questioning my motivations. I have three parts to my small business: speaking, coaching speakers (mostly through my BOSS 8-week training program and at any given time I’m coaching a few brave souls) and BlogWorks. I make a great income, run the whole operation with a small team and and equally small office. I can take off two months a year and most months I could be doing my work from a beach on Maui or café in Portland. Small is working for me.
In praise of thinking small Click To TweetWhat about you?
Could you redirect your efforts to increase volume and grow your business into higher-touch service?
When I created the BOSS program I included one-on-one coaching before and after the 8-weeks of video lessons and live calls. This year it was a ton of work to schedule almost 90 people (from 9 countries) into two 30 minute calls, but the rewards made that decision a no-brainer. I’m convinced those calls are a big part of the reason we fill 30% of our seats before we even advertise.
Staying small and getting better is not going to make headlines or win business-of-the-year awards but it could build a more valuable business – one that gets better results and you can be proud of.
Here’s to thinking small!
I like your “stuff” Hugh. Inspiring. Thx!
Thanks Ken for the comment – most appreciated!
Thanks Hugh, a great antidote to get off the “I need to make it big teadmill” we ae constantly bombarded with.
Thanks Harvey. So true! I know i’ve been on that treadmill longer than I care to admit.
I really needed to hear this at this time of year as I feel myself falling into the comparison trap where everyone around me in the speaking world seems to be ‘going big’ – and of course we don’t know the reality.
Your BOSS and BOS programmes have been instrumental in helping me systematise, focus and give value – thank you.
Thanks Clare. I know what you mean. It’s funny that sitting down to write goals is always supposed to be about sitting down to “write bigger goals”. I’m voting for doing better with what I have. I certainly know that when I do that with my clients it actually ends up being both better and bigger!
Thanks for the shoutout, Hugh.
Bo, of course! I love that book and note that Tim Ferriss must have referred to it a dozen times on his podcast – high praise!
Thanks for another great post – this one came into my inbox at a great time. One of the things that I was thinking in the weeks the CAPS convention was how big do I want to go, how big do I need to go, and what costs/benefits will I be willing to bear along the way?
So much of the noise and advice out there on personal businesses is based around lines like “Think of a number you want to earn, and then double it – that’s what you should go for!” or “You need to shed all commitments and Plan B’s and devote yourself completely to your business if you are going to succeed!” That advice always seemed to be devoid of a sense of reality or moderation, and framed success entirely over the size of your metric (whatever that metric is).
This post was a breath of sensibility, fresh air, and calm.
Thanks Lauren. I totally agree. We hear so many hero stories it’s easy (been there) to believe it’s the only way. It gets to the point where doing it in balance seems weird, instead of smart. I wrote a post about the money side of this (in particular the saving side) here https://hughculver.com/why-100000-a-year-wont-make-you-rich/
HI Hugh,
I often ask farmers “How big is big enough?” Ralph Waldo Emerson also said “your health is your wealth.”. Thanks for the reminder to do what we love in a way that works for us, regardless of what everyone else is chasing after. Thanks for SOS, your coaching, and your insights that have helped me enjoy the journey of growth, and explore new ways of spreading influence without spreading me too thin. Here’s to a great new year for all of us in 2007, paying attention to living an intentional life, not a stretched out stressed one ! PS. If you miss Walter, you are welcome to visit our farm shop anytime ! Lots of great tools and smells there !
That would be 2017, not 2007 !