There is way too much that can go wrong in a small business. Some people make it harder on themselves by stacking the deck against themselves. As a small business owner, I have to say I love to watch other business owners at work – some I feel great admiration for and seek to emulate – others…not so much.

Last night on Kitchen Nightmares, a show in which chef Gordon Ramsay helps failing restaurants, it was unbelievable how utterly clueless these owners were about why their business was failing. As an outsider, it is far easier to see the forest for the trees:
1. The place was called “Flamangos” – get it Florida+Mangoes
2. They had 50 things on the menu
3. The chef of 1 month was saddled with trying to execute 50 different dishes
4. The customers hated the food
5. The owners mistreated their staff and customers

Truly, the only thing cooking at this place was the pot of misery the owners were making and serving up in big bowls. It seemed the biggest issue was NOT wanting to change – despite the fact that they were bleeding money with no end in sight.

To Chef Ramsay’s credit, he jumped in and despite the loud objections from the people he was trying to help, he completely resurrected the restaurant from the ground up – you could see the staff jump on board, eager to follow a positive leader, the customers followed and last to get on the clue train were the owners, who finally realized that change is a good thing and it was coming whether or not they wanted it.

It took just one person to stand up and confront the bunch to turn a seriously failing business. So, take a look at your business today – are you the changer, the leader or are you the clinger, the one who fears change and what are you going to do – who are you going to be, starting TODAY?

When you run a small company, you spend most of the time justifying why you are small.  In years past, people would wonder why a company would choose that path – why NOT be big – this is America and bigger historically has been perceived as desirable.  Scroll forward to Q2, 2009 and see how many companies are touting their “bigness” – it feels wrong for this economy.

I read a great article about Jim Collins (author of “Built to Last” and “Good to Great”) this past Sunday in the NYT Sunday Business section, entitled “For This Guru No Question Is Too Big.”  A few points in the article really struck me – Jim was asked by his mentor, Peter F. Drucker, if he wanted to build ideas first and foremost – if so, Peter counseled Jim not to  build a big organization, because all he’d end up doing is managing it.  Jim chose to kept his overhead down and his staff small and focused on the ideas – ergo, small is beautiful.

I think Margaret Mead said it best:  “Never underestimate that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world, indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.”

P.S.  We just met with a potential new client who pointed out in the meeting that we were there because we ARE small – further he said – we are small* , we want a small agency – small is better!

*If your idea of small is $3 billion, good for you!!

Read an interesting article in the dining section of the NY Times yesterday entitled “His Big Idea is to Get Small“.  Randall Grahm, owner of the Bonny Doon Vineyards is examining his business model and asking a key question:  “How do you create the conditions for originality?”  It is the question every small business should be asking these days.  Further, Mr. Grahm recommends “following one’s own muse” in order to figure out the business model that will lead to satisfaction and ultimately a unique offering.

As our company continues to grow, we are mindful that we want to maintain our originality, and continue to focus our efforts on following the path that has brought us success, while continuing to search for new and different ways to approach business.  I love to see a guy who has been running a wildly successful company have the guts to take the risks he has – my bet is he’ll be more successful than ever.

At least that is the belief of Alex Bogusky (Crispin Porter + Bogusky Creative Chief), who is my new hero.  According to him, entrepreneurs are the ones who will help lead the US out of the recession, since small businesses represent 75% of our gross domestic product.  It is true – smaller shops have advantages in flexibility in offerings, can get ideas off the ground faster and have more at stake when it comes to true innovation and you get the A team – because that’s all there is.

So as an American, do your patriotic duty, hire a small agency today and help save your country!