[…] e me his deepest respect despite my Gap jeans and Westcoast tee. This is exactly what boutiqu-ing (http://www.siftstar.com/blog/?p=23, 2) is all about. This is bespoke tailor and Hugh McLeod riffs on thousand year old cheese. […]
Home » Archive » Boutiqu-ing
A few weeks ago I wrote about the tension between firm size and firm mobility. As the story narrowed in to the conclusion, I mentioned my concern that the sift experiment might become a bit busy. sift might turn into a chore instead of a joy. But I left the solution until now.
In the article I mentioned Tim Manner’s Reveries and his note on little global companies. His story was one of the small guy playing in the big boy’s leagues but he inadvertently mentioned what I think is the answer I was seeking. Read to the end to find the trigger.
Another such opportunity — in the rapid-prototyping business — has been developed by S. Scott Crump, co-founder (with his wife, Lisa) of an outfit called Stratasys, www.stratasys.com. Although the Eden Prairie, Minn., company has just 200 employees and drives only $50 million in revenues, Stratasys is the global leader in its category … and is publicly traded.
Hidden in the rah-rah big league story is a small company, with (relatively) small revenues, reaching a small market. What’s the story? Keep it small. On purpose.
A few days ago I was looking to buy a diamond ring for my wife. I popped into a boutique that looked interesting and chatted up the owner. “Any other stores?†I asked. “No way, I don’t want that lifestyle. Keep it small, I say.â€
There’s more and more of this. It looks like some companies are recognizing the value of keeping it small. That’s what I plan to do with sift too. But I wonder … we gave up tribes for chiefdoms, chiefdoms for kingdoms, kingdoms for agrarian societies … Will tribal business work?
Commentary
[…] deepest respect despite my Gap jeans and Westcoast tee. This is exactly what boutiqu-ing (1, 2) is all about. This is bespoke tailor and Hugh McLeod riffs on thousand year old cheese. — I had […]
Written by sift experiment » Another note on boutiqu-ing on
[…] : long lines, gargantuan and poorly dressed people, and universally grumpy patrons. In an earlier post I noted what may be an evolutionary regression from massive social orgs (like Walmart) t […]