Think Bigger. Think Different. Can Your Small Biz Work With Big Businesses?

We are NEVER going back to "pre-Covid", the entire world, the USA, the economy, the way we are all doing business and will live is forever changed.

We must Think Bigger and Think Different.

On a recent Adrian's Network phone call, I commented that we very small companies should consider seeking to work with very large companies.

Right now, so many very small business owners, mostly freelancers in fact, work "one on one" with clients.

You have the accountant who has a handful of very small companies they work with. You have the lone web designer that has the handful of clients. Maybe there's the business coach or trainer that has another few clients.

Pre-covid this was ok.

You worked your list of clients and prospects and bit by biz, eked out a meager living.

Today, in the post-Covid environment, so many of these very small companies who are relying on other small companies or solo business owners are "out of business" or hurting real bad.

Those who have the budgets and are still spending some money are larger companies. Global companies, big regional companies. But even these companies are crimping budgets.

So if you're a VERY small company, how can you work with a larger business.

• Are you even READY to serve a large company?
• Have you successfully served your smaller clients? I've worked with many very small companies who don't even respond to email that well - they are NOT ready for the big leagues.
• Do you have any "offering" for a large company. Not, "Hi, I'm Jeremy, can I update your website". No these BIG COMPANIES expect mature solutions to their problems. Are you ready for that?
• Do you have the team to help you scale and work with a big company? When I produced the Survive and Thrive Summit, with sponsors such as Dell, Microsoft, AT&T and Salesforce, it was not just Ramon doing everything. I had a team in place - event manager, event coordinator, designer, video edit, slide creator and more.

Working with or for a very large company is NOT the same as having coffee in a Starbucks with a solo entrepreneur and hope they pay you a $150 an hourly fee for some consulting work.

Nope, big companies have layers of managers, legal departments, deadlines and demands that you have to not only meet, but exceed, if you're going to work with them.

So, while I encourage all of US "very small companies" to go big and work with bigger brands, make sure you're ready to serve them.

1. Are you able to respond timely to email?
2. Do you have a support team?
3. Do you have processes and procedures?
4. Is your business mature and your MIND and EMOTIONS mature?
5. Can you partner with other companies to do more together than you could alone?
6. Do you have the cash flow to get paid in 60 - 90 days?

A designer doing work for 2 gals in a garage is way different than a designer doing work for a $200 billion dollar company.

Looking for what to offer a larger company?

• Read the news and see WHERE THEY ARE GOING
• Have conversations with their managers
• Start to read "big business" publications like AdAge, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The Economist, Business Week and etc. Don't just read "small business" related media.

If you're a sales trainer, can you do a training session for a restaurant chain in "how to serve customers with social distancing". If you're a web developer can you upgrade or develop a new micro-site for a company with tools and resources for their customers focused on post-Covid work the company is doing. There's a zillion things you can do, be creative.

See the addendum to this article on Smart Hustle here.