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Small Business Advantage: Speed Thrills

Let's make believe that you are that big company CEO again for a moment. You've been doing some skiing in Aspen or lounging on a beach on the Riviera when you have an epiphany. A moment of absolute clarity.

Boom! Just like that, you have figured out how to boost your sales figures by at least twenty percent by implementing a simple change on a few of the websites you operate. So, you reach for your phone and place the call to your loyal servant, er, administrative assistant, Earl.

You tell Earl what to do. He understands. You hang up. A few days later, you return to the office to discover that everything remains the same.

Earl explains:

"I told the guys in advertising to write up the new copy like you said. They told me it would take a day or so. Then, once they got that done, I forwarded it to the web design people. They didn't really sit on it long, but it did take until the next day. Then, the design guy had a problem uploading the changes and he had to call the IT specialist to help him. She coached him through the whole process and we were done. That's when I realized that they had re-uploaded the original and that the design and IT people would have to go through the upload again, but she was out of the office all day and no one else has the FTP password. Plus, I got this memo from the web services project manager saying that you had told him that everything involving any of the sites first had to go through him and he wanted a complete explanation of how--"

Somehow, you resist the urge to punch Earl.

They say, "If you want it done right, do it yourself." Well, that's an egomaniacal viewpoint and it completely disregards the fact that some people have a higher level of context-specific expertise, but there is something that still rings true about the adage.

If you were the only person in the "loop" for the adjustment, you could have implemented your wonderful scheme in a matter of minutes. No memos. No phone call, no tracking down the woman from IT with the FTP password. Just you, an idea and implementation; in a snap.

That's speed. And speed is king. The big guys try to keep it, but they invariably lose it. With growth comes bureaucracy, checks and balances, and other efficiency-draining extras. That's why they keep trying to buy up the young speedy companies who are out-innovating them.

When you run the show, you can do your thing and get out in moments. Lickety split. Speed is especially important today. I convergence of factors are making fast action a business necessity. Information pours forth like never before, changing minds and influencing people faster than you can recite your competitor's motto from last year.

The internet is constantly evolving, advancing and changing. That flash intro page that wowed everyone two years ago is now an annoyance and if you don't know what Web 2.0 ostensibly means, you could be in trouble.

New trends, new technologies, new opportunities. And they are all coming at a rapid clip. You have to be fast to keep your feet underneath you. You have to be very fast to make additional progress at the same time.

You don't have three staff meetings, requisition forms or layers of human insulation between your ideas and action.

Act fast because you can. And because the other guy can!

Just a note: We aren't advocating impulsive or reckless activities. We are advocating taking advantage of openings with solid strategies quickly and efficiently.  Your speed, when not coupled with wise strategy, can get you to the poorhouse just as quickly as it can carry you to the penthouse.