As a small business owner or brand, you may feel like you're competing for the spotlight, and with less resources to get the upper hand. But the saying goes, "Mo' money, Mo' problems" for a reason.
After working for and alongside corporate entities for the last 10 years, and running a side business dedicated to small brands. I've seen the struggles that corporations face — many of which small businesses, in the race to compete, haven't utilized to their advantage.
1: Your ear is to the streets.
Corporate companies spend A LOT of money on research and trying to understand their target audiences — which is an ongoing challenge as buying behavior continues to evolve. Likewise, many of the people in charge of promoting a corporation don't get actual face time with audiences. Their fight to stay in tune and personal with their clients is a constant struggle. You — being in the field and hands on with delivering your products and services directly to. customers — do. You can ask them directly about their daily routines, challenges, and desires — which gives you the playbook on how to keep them coming back.
2: You're a REAL person.
Corporations spend EVEN MORE money on efforts to "personify" their companies. They don't want to be seen as corporate giants — and to stay relevant, they have to be relatable. People are more likely to make purchases based on PEOPLE they see themselves in. That's why influencers have become a successful investment for corporations, but you don't have to pay to make your brand feel more relatable. You are your brand.
3: You're not bound by political red tape.
From brainstorming and creating to the endless chains of approvals — corporate marketing efforts take months get off the ground and in front of audiences. That means that corporate companies are working to catch up and participate in trends before they faze out. And because so many people have a say in what actually goes to market, the original idea gets watered down a lot by so many voices. Your small business is in a much better position to respond to current events and trends, and faster. Better yet, you have more freedom to experiment and create the unconventional ideas that set new trends.
Don't discount what you're working with!
You may feel like you're always fighting an uphill battle as a small business owner, but, I encourage you to take a look at what's in your hands. That's what God told Moses.
In Exodus, the Lord appeared to Moses with an huge assignment: to lead the Israelites (his kinfolk) out of oppression and slavery.
[God said] "So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt. But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” And God said, “I will be with you...”
- Exodus 3:10-12
Despite God's reassurance, Moses continued to look at what he didn't have and couldn't do — instead of what God was able to do. Eventually, God showed him that what he had — even what he saw as insignificant — was more than enough.
Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied. The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground." Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. 4 Then the Lord said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. “This,” said the Lord, “is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.” - Exodus 4:1-5
My friend, if you have a business — it likely means that the Lord has appeared to you with a BIG task, but just like with Moses — he doesn't need you to have a big budget or name, only a willingness to let Him use what's right in front of you, today.
Remember, he has a BIG heart for the smaller things.
Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin.
- Zechariah 4:10 NLT
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