Catching up with my friends Jon and Allison Suter over the weekend, we got talking about the success of their 3 year-old baby, and what factors were playing the biggest role in their rapid climb to the big leagues. One of the things Jon stressed a couple of times was how much he strived for “un-scaleable levels of customer support”; the idea of (the founder!) providing service and support at such speeds, and to such an incredible degree of personalization that it becomes sneezeworthy.
In a world full of small businesses trying to appear larger than they are, the Suters have gone in the other direction – personalized attention, provided as quickly as possible (though they know they can’t do it forever), while boldly positioning themselves as a three-person shop (check out their About page).
My big takeaway was around leveraging what you’ve got, rather than focusing on what you lack. If you’re starting out with a small number of clients, you can lament that fact and curse the competition or you can blow that small group of clients away with unbelievable (and yes, un-scaleable) levels of support so they tell their friends. Wherever you’re at, there’s an advantage to being there, if you can just get past your ego to see it. Find that advantage & capitalize on it. Turn heads by leveraging what you’ve got, not pretending to be something you’re not.
