Wed, April 22, 2009 - 7:00:23

Small Businesses to the Rescue

Monday, on the Small Blog, we discussed why you shouldn’t count out the Little Guy in the fight for big business.  Scrappy and resourceful, strategic and shrewd, small boutique firms are managing to do something that many of our nation’s most venerable companies haven’t: thrive.  In this time of economic crisis, we hear endlessly about the importance of saving America’s corporate giants (and for good reason, of course) but, we believe that small businesses will be the real key to turning around our lagging economy.

Why?  Because “thinking small” spurs innovation.  While the guy operating his one man business from his laptop in your neighborhood Java Joe’s probably doesn’t seem like your idea of a financial superhero, take a moment to think about the companies that have come to define success in contemporary America.  Tech titans like Google and Microsoft, cosmetics powerhouse Estée Lauder, and corporation-of-all-corporations Wal-Mart all began the same way: they started small. 

Bill Gates wasn’t always the world’s richest man, Estee Lauder wasn’t always synonymous with lipstick, and Sam Walton was once just the owner of a small town five and dime.  But each of them possessed the crucial characteristics that differentiate successful entrepreneurs from the rest of the pack: determination, ingenuity, and a keen eye for the details.  Each of these great companies grew from tiny seedlings, over time were nourished by the skills and ideas set forth by their founders, and eventually bloomed into the large companies they are today.

With so many Americans out of work, thousands are taking control of their professional lives by finding their niche, starting small, and setting out on the course of entrepreneurship.  Even as cautious lenders make it more difficult to obtain a loan, a number of organizations who share our SMALL perspective are equipping them with the tools to get started or keep going.  The Women’s Leadership Exchange, a social entrepreneurship organization for women, for example, has created its own “Economic Stimulus Resources” ranging from discount website design and hosting, to complimentary health insurance assessments.  Recognizing the often-overlooked importance of our nation’s small businesses, particularly those owned and operated by women, they, along with countless other professional groups, are taking the small, tangible steps toward attaining a monumental goal.

The struggle will be long and hard and inevitably some will fail.  But, the bright and gifted minds who can translate their little ideas into real profits just might emerge as the next forces to be reckoned with.  It won’t happen overnight, but the small companies that generate revenue in these tough times will not only rise to national prominence, they will in essence, become our heroes.
So next time you head out for your morning cuppa, give that guy on his laptop a second glance and remember his face.  You might want to thank him someday.

Want to learn more about the Women’s Leadership Exchange?  Visit their website at Womensleadershipexhange.com or see Robin speak live on May 5 at their conference in the Twin Cities.  If you can’t make it to Minneapolis, we’ll also be speaking at upcoming WLE events in New York, Philadelphia, and Orlando.  See their website for details. 

Posted by Linda and Robin