Why? Because the alternative (being the big fish in a small pond) is often mis-leading.

A personal footballing story

When I was younger, I was captain of my school’s soccer team and the best player in that small pond. By chance I was recruited to be part of the youth setup in a football club, there I was no longer the best.

At age 14, we took part in qualification for the nike international cup (a global tournament held for youths under 14 years old). We played well and faced the national youth team in the final, but psychologically we felt we were better. That match ended 1-0 in our favour and we representated Singapore in the Asian version of the tournament.

We were badly beaten by powerhouses Japan and China, but our perspective was expanded. We now knew that in that larger pond… we were small fish.

At every stage, I felt smaller and smaller but by working hard, I was constantly improving and actually growing.

Be the small fish in the big pond in your small business

Yes, startups and small businesses should often target a small niche. But, when you become dominant in the small pond, complacency can set in. Very frequently if the pond is small enough (your town, your school, your immediate network), it is very easy to led success go to your head.

So aim to continually expand the scope of your business and personal goals, open yourself up to increasingly bigger markets, better technology, larger income targets, more grand personal targets…

Yes, it may sound counter-intuitive but aim to be a small fish in the big pond. I’ll love to hear your thoughts and personal stories.