Small Ideas
Recently I’ve been spending a lot of time working with Jonathan Moore and the team at Style Hatch. They kick ass, and Jonathan Moore is at the helm as an extremely talented designer as well as entrepreneur.
At one of our first lunches together he said something in passing that has really stuck with with me. “Style Hatch has taught me that there is no such thing as a small idea”. A small comment with some big implications. The seemingly “small” idea of a quality Tumblr theme design shop has exceeded even Jonathan’s own expectations in growth, the opportunities it has provided, and doors it has opened for everyone involved.
Now, this isn’t to say that everyone should go out and start designing Tumblr themes because that’s where the money is. That thought process completely misses the mark. That wasn’t Jonathan’s initial motivation in founding Style Hatch. I believe that initial motivation is precisely what sets his “small idea” apart.
Small ideas can turn big with time because they aren’t rooted in dangerously big ideas. Much like the quality of food and service in a small family run Italian restaurant vs the Olive Garden. Sometimes “big” thinking can dilute the power of the core competency of your business. If you lose that then you’re, well, the Olive Garden.
I think it comes down to knowing what you do well, doing it well for others, then worrying about scaling what that thing is that you do so well. In the case of Style Hatch, quality in both product and customer service were, and remain to be, at the center of their business. It has lead to a genuine experience that people love.
Find your thing. Do it well. Be confident. Play your own game. The rest will come. If it doesn’t? Well, then you haven’t found your thing yet.