It’s OK to be small

I see advice all the time on ‘how to play big’ or ‘how to up your business game’ or how to ‘scale your business up to the next level.’ 

But what if that doesn’t interest you?

What if you want a happy life instead of a busy life? 

What if you want ‘just enough’ instead of ‘more, more, more’?

Like lots of people, I’ve recently been binge watching Marie Kondo on Netflix and really resonating with her question of “does it spark joy?” and using that as a guide for what to keep and what to thank and let go of (for those who don’t know what I’m talking about Marie Kondo is a Japanese decluttering coach who has created a system KonMarie about how to declutter. She’s very charming). 

So back to ‘spark joy.’ 

Does it spark joy for you to play bigger? Does it spark joy for you to expand your audience, or charge more for your work, or take bigger risks in your business and creative life? 

If that sparks joy for you, then you should follow that joy and do it. 

But if it fills you with dread, or it sparks joy to stay just how you are right now, then that is exactly what you should do. 

To draw in another metaphor, it’s like Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Finding what’s ‘Just right’ for you is key. Not a bed that’s too big. Not a bed that’s too small. If you’re going to find a bed to lie down it, it should be just the right size.

And so it goes with your business. Micro businesses are great, if that’s what makes you happy. 

Global massive companies are also great, if that’s what makes you happy. 

But don’t scale up for the sake of scaling up. It won’t be authentic and you won’t enjoy sleeping in that bed. 

What sparks joy for you might be to take a baby step. Find one new customer. Introduce one tweak to your offering. Or maybe to do nothing and keep on doing what you’ve been doing. 

It’s your business. It’s your choice. 

You can always revisit that choice next year or further down the line. Who knows, maybe then you’ll be ready for a different choice. 

What’s sparks joy for YOU. 

That’s what matters in your business. Nothing else.