Monday 30 September 2013

Ten things big businesses envy in smaller businesses


Big businesses often bemoan their own lack of essential vitality and wonder what they could take away from smaller, more entrepreneurial business and incorporate into their own culture.


At first thought, the shopping list is negligible. After all, who would want all the hassle and grief of being an inconsequential price-taker without all the trappings of the corporate world? However, on second thoughts, there are a number of attributes that the bigger business is positively jealous of.


  1. Passion and belief in the product.
  2. Excitement.
  3. Flexibility and ability to change direction, at the drop of a hat!
  4. Responsiveness.
  5. Speed of decision-making.
  6. Communication, no silos; simple lines of accountability and control.
  7. Commitment.
  8. Closeness to customers and suppliers.
  9. A feeling of being able to make a difference; in control of your own destiny.
  10. Clear focus.

The reason that small businesses exist is to satisfy a dream or fill a gap or an opportunity that others cannot see.



Most of these attributes should also exist in the larger organisation. They just seem to get beaten out of people as control, stability, safety and security become more important in what can only be described as the corporate mindset.



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