Here's the thing: If you're like most of us, you need to work and make a living. But more than that, you want to be part of something, to contribute, and to add value. You want to make a great living doing something you stand for. You may not know exactly all of what you want, but you know a lot about what you don't want.
What each of us needs and wants might look different, but there are common threads. I'm going to guess that you want:
Time: the freedom to choose when and how to use your time
Resources: the money to support yourself now and in the future
Relationships: people to share your life with
Meaning: the knowledge that what you do matters
Maybe you're thinking of starting a business but the whole thing is overwhelming. I'm sure you have your reasons why it seems like too much—no money, no time, and no know-how are the usual culprits. I'm here to tell you that even if you start with nothing (by the way, nobody really starts with nothing) but your purpose and patience, you can build something substantial, measurable, and worthwhile. In this book I will pass along some advice, guidelines, and access to community to help you get started.
Why not make your work life work for you—with a return? Why not build something and live the life you imagine? I'm not talking about finding fame and fortune through business. Not everyone wants that. I didn't. I'm directing you to a happy middle ground I call Tiny Business where business rules and personal choices are woven and work together from your center.
Just to be clear, this is not a book about having a one-person business that some might describe as “tiny.” My definition of “tiny” has more to do with intention and purpose than size or income. Tiny refers to your focus on the essentials—and the compromises you won't make. My Tiny Business, Eco-Bags Products, does on average $2 million in sales annually. I also consider Patagonia, with over $200 million in revenue, to be a Tiny Business because it is so committed to its purpose.
Tiny Business, Big Purpose
Have you heard of the Tiny House movement? It is the growing trend of people intentionally downsizing their living spaces for a number of reasons, and the one that seems to resonate the most is the freedom and time that efficient and purposeful Tiny living brings.
Purpose Brings Meaning and Happiness
Like a Tiny House, a Tiny Business is built by keeping a laser focus on what you deem essential and eliminating what's nonessential—all the extra stuff. Tiny House advocates say it's about creating and living an intentional life with less. The first step is deciding when to say no. You have to get tough on what to include and what to throw out. By identifying what's important and essential, you make it easier to eliminate physical and mental clutter and experience life—and business—with greater ease and more abundance.
A Tiny Business is defined by your priorities and intentions, not how many employees you have. It has everything to do with your level of focus and not just how much revenue you bring in. It recognizes that growth is good—but not growth at all costs.
A Tiny Business approach takes a long view. It requires a disciplined mindset that breaks down problems into opportunities and encourages taking incremental, deliberate steps to keep you and your business healthy and vital.
This book is the story of my Tiny Business, Eco-Bags Products. It's about how I built a niche brand to solve a problem I was passionate about with persistence and patience, from a single idea, with very limited resources. It's how I intentionally grew a Tiny Business from a tiny idea into a profitable multimillion-dollar operation at my own pace, while prioritizing family and vacations.
Yes, you don't have to scrape by or sacrifice everything to make a great living!
Yes, you can build a profitable, million-dollar Tiny Business without working weekends and nights!
It can be done!
Tiny Business Is Business within Reach
But don't get me wrong: it's not easy. Building a Tiny Business requires great agility, creativity, and discipline. With decisions to be made at every turn, standing for something bigger than (but including) profit presents interesting challenges. That's what makes articulating your “why”—a clear and simple vision for what you want to create in life, business, and the world—so important. Tiny Business is about setting your intentions to create value and impact now—and for the future.
When you take the time to get very clear on what you want, choose a direction, and remove all obstacles, you'll find yourself moving with a greater sense of ease and freedom, creating a kind of “magic.”
I'm defining “magic” as the freedom and joy you experience when you combine exquisite focus and consistent effort over time. When you know exactly what you want, it makes it easy to push everything you don't want—all the clutter and noise—to the wayside.
Tiny Business Is Business on Your Terms—That Fits Your Life
Entrepreneurship doesn't need to be a competitive race to the peak, as popular myths and media want you to believe. It can be a pleasurable, educational hike, from point A to point B, step by step to the summit, where you arrive in healthier financial and personal shape than when you began. With a Tiny Business, you get to stop and smell the flowers (and have fun) along the way. You eventually get where you're going, and you're more whole when you get there.
