Growth, acquisitions, multiple locations, more, more, more customers!

It’s what business is all about, isn’t it? That mantra of bigger, faster, better, more! I mean, isn’t that why you’re in business?

It’s a good question. A few weeks back, Jill and I were discussing this very thing, and along with weighing the pros and cons of following thousands of people on Twitter, we talked about the pros and cons of expansion.

Do you try to please more people, yet risk watering-down your product or service, or do you keep your base happy and loyal?

For what it’s worth, I fell on the side of keeping it small and personable.
Of course, Jerry Maguire’s “mission statement” (less clients and more real relationships) got him fired, but for many businesses, staying small means, well, “Show me the money!”

I was thinking in particular about local game stop Yottaquest, whose founder, Matthew Fry decided to keep his successful business a one-location stop, despite others telling him to expand.
But Matthew doesn’t feel the need to expand – he doesn’t want to water-down the experience he can give his customers. For example, he baked cupcakes for his customers on their one-year anniversary party. His customers are loyal because they like him and the atmosphere his store gives them, not because they can get a cheaper version of Dungeons & Dragons.

The best part? By keeping a smaller, more manageable business model, he can give everyone a one-of-a-kind experience, and not just a vanilla version.
It’s something to think about.