I was thinking about the advantages of being a smaller agency while watching my 12 year-old daughter play basketball the other night. She is by far the smallest player on her team and as the first shoot out began, it was hard not to question whether we should have let her do this. No parent wants to see their child fail and so I prayed that we made the right decision. As the team was warming up on the court, I began to breathe a little easier as I saw the enthusiasm and determination in her eyes. I should never have worried – speedy and low to the ground, she was dribbling and running past many of the taller girls with ease. As the game began, I was overwhelmed to see her launching herself on girls twice her size to get jump balls, taking shots, and running down the court with the ball. Fearless. Confident. Awesome. It was the biggest high I’ve had in a while.
I couldn’t help but be reminded of the advantages that I’ve had in business by being small. You have to work harder, be faster and throw yourself into things that aren’t always tidy. You are always the underdog. And you do all of this with a smile plastered on your face hoping for the success. All the big players are so busy watching each other that they don’t notice the little guy who is putting in the extra hours and miles to please.
It’s taken a while for me to come to terms with who we are as an agency, but after over 15 years I’ve learned that small can be just big enough.
