Small Business vs Big Company - The Beauty and the Beast.

Over the years that I have worked in and for small businesses, I have come to appreciate the simplicity, and the many complexities, of running a small business.

A small business owner wears many hats - from General Manager, Finance Controller, Sales Manager, through to Receiptionist, Delivery Driver, and Cleaner. Some tasks are delegated to staff or out-sourced contractors, but the buck stops with the owner, and all the pressures of each responsibility usually weighs rather heavy on their shoulders. The job can seem to be too much for one person, and one could think that no one could possibly maintain this long term.

But, people have been running small businesses for..... ever! Consider the businesses of a time long ago. Think back pre-Industrial revolution, or go back even a few centuries more, and think of the kind of small businesses that existed. There was a baker, who sold his freshly-baked goods from a cart in the town square. There was a carpenter, possibly with his apprentice by his side, who would have been commissioned to build someone's home. There may have been a wool merchant - who would buy fleece from local sheep farmers and sell it to the wool mills. These are all examples of a small business owner - independent, providing a product or service that benifited the local community.

Now, let's consider the history of companies. The first ever company (according to available records) was formed in Holland in 1602 - the Dutch East India Trading Company. This company was formed to monopolise the spice trade from what is now known as Indonesia, and grew to become a massive conglomerate. It was rich enough and powerful enough to influence government, to take over foreign lands, and even to wage war against rivals. However, the company eventually became corrupt, and went bankrupt in 1799. Almost 200 years of operation, and what do we have to show for it? Speaking from a very personal view (being a descendant of the Dutch East Indies) there is a legacy of what can be achieved with power-hunger-fuelled greed, but that's ok, because we do have our spices.

Consider the characteristics between the small business operator and the big multi-national company. A small business is a positive influence, it provides a much-needed product or service, and helps a community to grow. A company is more like a monster, requiring more people, more resources, and in turn, uses deceiving tactics to convince the unsuspecting population that what they provide is necessary, so that they can take their money to feed the insatiable appetite of record profits and dividends to share-holders (yes, I know this is a gross generalisation of companies, please don't take this as a standard of all companies - there are some out there that are good).

Using this comparison of small vs big, which would you prefer to be? I subscribe to the concept that small = good. Enjoy being small. Appreciate the fact that you are a vital part of your local community, and that you are helping your local area to grow. Your operations should be sustainable, provided you are sensible in your business management. Yes, as a small business owner, you have many hats to wear, but that just means that the business is your vehicle to control. It takes a large amount of self-discipline to get it right, but the rewards are paid a hundred-fold (and I'm not even talking about money!)

I have an unwavering respect for small business owners, simply for their self-sufficient attitude. Not relying on an employer - or a government - to take care of them, but providing for their families on their own. For me, to run a business that provides a vital product or service to your community, which in turn provides a comfortable living to your family, is about as close as you can get to a perfect world.