It seems like practically every branding book I have ever read is consistent in saying that only one or two brands can dominate a category. This is then buttressed by a deluge of big brand examples – Coke, P&G, Ford, Microsoft, Oracle, UPS, blah, blah, blah.
You would think with such a coronation that no company other than these giants would be able to compete in any category. But really the opposite is true.
According to the NFIB, small businesses in the U.S. produce around 50% of our GDP, making American small business the world’s third largest economy behind the overall U.S. economy and Japan. In fact, if it weren’t for small business, all these large companies would be closing their doors pronto because small business is both their customer as well as their supplier, subcontractor, etc.
Small brands can do what large ones can’t. They can find the niche that the big guys won’t – or can’t – fit into. They are nimble enough to make more out of every resource. Their lack of capital actually makes them priortize and make better decisions. They can change their offerings – heck, their entire business focus – much more quickly to adjust to market fluctuations (and there are always fluctuations). They can be more personal. More flexible. More local. So if you feel you’re fighting an uphill battle all the time, remember that you have key advantages over the big guys. You just need to determine what those specific advantages are for your small business or startup and make sure your customers know what they are.
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Thanks for the blogging! We are a very small brand, trying to reach a large audience. You writings are encouraging – Thanks – LH