The Magic of Tiny Business

You Don't Have to Go Big to Make a Great Living

Sharon Rowe

• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781523094806
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Business Development
• Index: Business

"This is a powerful book—tiny is mighty. Sharon Rowe's simple shift in thinking is a profound idea, precisely what we need to hear."
—Seth Godin, author of Linchpin Too many of us feel trapped by work that keeps us from living our purpose. We fantasize about starting our own business, yet we're warned against falling into debt, working eighty hours a week, and coping with the pressure to grow. Eco-Bags Products founder Sharon Rowe says there's another way: go tiny. Like a tiny house, a tiny business is built on maintaining a laser focus on what is essential by living an intentional life. As an entrepreneur and mother, Rowe is most concerned with putting family first, maintaining financial security, and doing something that makes an impact in the world. Using the success story of Eco-Bags Products, Rowe distills the step-by-step process of building a profitable, right-scaled, sustainable venture that doesn't compromise your values. She shows you how to test your concept, manage your money and priorities, and more, while staying true to the "tiny" ethos.

Part I

Choose Your Limitations

This Won’t Hurt a Bit . . .

Chapter One

What Is a Tiny Business?

“

Go big or go home is a prevailing but tired and misleading cultural myth.
”

Risk everything. Don’t even bother to try otherwise.

Fight your way to the top.

Be aggressive.

And If You Don’t Succeed . . .

You’re done.

You’re ruined.

You lose.

You’ll never be successful.

No one wants to be your friend (aww).

Have I scared you? Going big is not for everyone. It wasn’t for me—not like that.

But what if someone asked you: What sparks, excites, invigorates, or inspires you?

And what if I showed you a way to be different in business that also led to success? A way that allowed you to take one step at a time instead of risking everything all at once while leaping into the unknown? A way that lets you intentionally build what you want, going slow and steady, and only picking up the pace when you’re ready?

You can have your cake and eat it too. With a Tiny Business, you can make a good living and have a great life.

What a Tiny Business Is

1. Born out of crystal-clear priorities for what you want out of life.

2. Makes you a living and still gives you the space to live.

3. Puts your energy into something that matters exquisitely to you.

4. Grows at your own pace and in alignment with your life priorities.

5. Business on your terms—that fits your life.

What a Tiny Business Is Not

1. Born solely out of the need for a paycheck.

2. Requires you to push aside everything else important in your life.

3. Puts all your energy into making money.

4. Grows for the sake of growth without consideration for your other life priorities.

5. Business on business’s terms—that you have to work your life around.

Building Market Value with YOUR Values

Tiny is a laser-focused, disciplined approach centered on making your work work for you. It is rooted in your priorities and supported with tested business acumen. It’s a way to start, run, and grow a business where you can stand for something and create a scalable working asset without working 24/7. Tiny Business is a big opportunity; it’s your opportunity to drive the bus. You get to build market value with your values.

“

Tiny does not define the amount of revenue you generate—that can be as big as your aspirations.
”

Like the Tiny House movement, the first step is getting clear on your priorities. What do you want in your life and your business now and with an eye toward the future? Like a Tiny House, there are things you need to have and things that are nice to have. If your Tiny Business is a journey and you have one small bag to pack for one full year, what needs to be in it?

What’s most important to you?

What are you working for really?

What is your “why”?

“

Tiny Business is how you make a living, not a killing.
”

With a Tiny mindset, you start with what’s most important, both personally and professionally, and you regularly visit those priorities for all decisions. You practice discipline by setting a schedule, sticking to it, and getting to work. You build something you are connected to—emotionally, psychologically, and physically—something that feeds your energy.

You select what’s essential and then you intentionally remove the obstacles, noise, and clutter—real or imagined. You consciously limit your business and your life to only what you need and want. This is how you create and live an intentional life with less.

“Rich . . . It’s about having enough money to live your best life.”

—Amy Adeyemi, Toro Communications

What I wanted was

A flexible schedule

Nights and weekends free plus at least four weeks of vacation

To put my family first (e.g., not missing school plays)

Time for self-care (daily swim and meditation)

Financial security

To believe in what I’m doing 100 percent

To solve a problem without creating new ones

Yes, I wanted it all. It took a lot of work and a lot of discipline, and I got it.

Tiny Business is serious business. It’s complex. It’s not an easy, by-any-means-possible, get-rich-quick approach. It is weighted in your values and takes a long view requiring patience and persistence. But once you get clear on what you want, commit to it, and roll up your sleeves, you will begin to see the abundance of resources available to support you and connect you to a like-minded community.

What Matters Most To You?

Here’s a picture that maybe describes you . . .

You’ve got an itch to do something bigger, but you also need to make a living. There’s probably a lot of fear around changing things up, depending on what (and who) you’re responsible for. I’m certain there’s a lot of excitement bubbling around your passion too. Tiny Business is an opportunity to embrace and focus this energy to support you.

If you feel like you’re ready to start but you can’t put your finger on what’s stopping you, that means you need to take a break and unpack what you’re asking of yourself.

Start with what you want in life and work.

Time and money to travel

Coming home for dinner every night

Bringing your dog to work

Easy or no commute

Working for a brand or business you believe in

If that doesn’t feel comfortable, start with what you don’t want.

Limited vacation

Forty-plus hour workweeks

Working in a cub...