I’ve spent most of my career working as a consultant. I started out over 10 years ago at one of the big 4 accounting and consulting firms. When I first started out, I worked almost exclusively with small to mid-sized, regional clients. Later on, my focus shifted mostly to large, multinational corporations.
After having experienced both ends of the spectrum, I can honestly say that I much prefer working with smaller companies for 2 key reasons:
1. When I work with a smaller company, both my client and I feel the impact of our work together more immediately and directly. In a larger company, decision-making is often distributed and overly bureaucratic. It can take months, or even years for a decision to implemented once it’s made.
2 . Because there are fewer people and less organizational complexity in smaller organizations, the ‘story’ of the company is more likely to be intact.
What I mean by ‘story’ is that driving force, that original set of reasons that caused the company to come into being. It may be codified in the company’s mission, vision, and values, but probably only partially. The real ‘story’ will be found with the leaders of the organization. Both those with leader titles, and those who are excelling as leaders within the organization, whether or not they have the title.
Most small business leaders are very passionate about something. For some, that passion is money. But for most, it’s something much grander. Working with individuals who are fueled by a grand vision or a noble passion feels… good. It’s a pleasure sharing my experience with an owner that’s about the business of doing something meaningful, whether that’s creating a little extra freedom for themselves, or just putting their talents to use.
So, as you can see, my reasons for loving small businesses so much are entirely selfish.
But it’s ok. I can still look at myself in the mirror.
