Plucky Ducks
Mar 30, 2013 | Posted by etc | comments (0)
Are you a Plucky Duck?
In 1992, a shipping crate fell overboard, containing 28,000 plastic bathtub toys. Since then, they have been sailing around the world and appearing on beaches in the most unbelievable places. While much has been written about the Friendly Floaties, I’d like to present these little guys as an allegory of high-level business acumen.
Yes, they have provided new information to scientists regarding ocean currents, and provided another opportunity to bring important environmental issues to the surface. (Pun fully intended). But these guys are the poster child for the Power of Small. And I’m not just trying to wring some ‘think positive’ psychology out of the allegory. It is real advantage.
Think of these three advantages alone:
Opportunity abounds
The waning economy has dumped and displaced many workers into the vast economic sea. But at that moment, hundreds of new startups were launched. Imagine them all, minutes after they bobbed to the surface, all floating together in a friendly flotilla. They are free to do and go wherever they want, no longer hindered by the box. Don’t you love it? The big box store does nothing for creativity. Innovation is born from freedom and liberty. Opportunity abounds like never before.
Space to be me
There is always room for one more small business. Please do not view it as hundreds of new competitors. If you have carefully differentiated your small business, you have nothing to worry about. There is room for all- even bumping up against each other. While large boats must stay quite a distance from one another, the small business, especially one that has positioned itself carefully, has all the room they need. Small business can swim circles around the big boys, under the radar, in customer service and niche offerings.
Instant adaptation
These little ducks are the ultimate evolutionary model. Darwin would have been so proud. Currents change. Weather happens. Things a little duck cannot control. But these plucky ducks have endured storms that have brought down the most daring sailors and the largest ships. They have instantly changed course. Recovered from the largest waves. Endured long periods of sustained sun and loneliness.
If you are a small business, you have more advantage and more help at your disposal than ever before. Got waves? Stop looking at the wave as a disadvantage and use it as a tool and an opportunity to rise to new heights and go places you have never been before.
Small is the new Big. If you are small business owner, you are one Plucky Duck.
If you have enjoyed an advantage of being small, please share it with us in the comments.
And if you would like more information about the friendly floaties, check out these sites:
The Author of Moby Duck:
