A Small Company is Best

• Rapid response
• No corporate zombies
• Outsource – whatever/whenever
• Focus, focus, focus
• Modules, not monoliths

Rapid response means that you are quicker and more agile than your competitors. This allows for rapid adaption to market and technology shifts. Fast movers can ramp up and scale down immediately. You can be known for quick roll-outs and being quick to adapt new ideas, techniques to roll over the older competitors. With a small team you minimize any costs of learning as everyone learns together. The American railroads were never so aggressive and competitive as when they had their offices in railcars at the frontier where rails were being laid. Being small means that you can maximize monetizing opportunities since you can get there quickly and test them.

No corporate zombies because the Team is engaged in the process and progress of the company, all the time, for everything. The Team wants to do “good works” not just work. The Team believes that they can make a difference in the world while doing what they love.

Outsource whatever you can (and the options improve everyday). SEO and translation outsourcing is a low risk, low cost, no brainer. You can tap into rock star individuals for world class code, wihout forcing them to become “employees” which is something these brilliant individuals often want to avoid. Being totally virtual allows employees to work anywhere.. anytime.. any country. We use the world is flat as a our competitive edge.

Focus, focus, focus. You need emotional focus (are you loving what you do? Change it to work!) The technical focus employed allows you to always look ahead, behind and beside for improvements. Fiscal focus ensures that for all the edgy techniques employed the back ground decisions are very sound. Plan, execute and learn focus to ensure that every change meets the need to be faster, simpler and cheaper for the company to execute. End game focus keeps all the players on the same page, world domination one member at a time.

Modules, not monoliths. Do whatever you must to prevent the forming of information silos. We are all part of one team, not sets of teams. Coders have say in marketing and UI and sales has a say in coding. Put all your commonalities in the back end and deal with regionalization in the front end.

Next: The Gold is in the Rest of the World