Shark Tank is an award-winning show where entrepreneurs pitch ideas to a panel of wealthy investors. The focus is often around the opportunity for scaling the pitched business, as if this is the key measure of success.
A profitable small business is likely to be more satisfying for the owners than a business pursuing scale.
Chasing scale is risky, and expensive. The ones who make money from the pursuit of scale are service providers along the way: speakers, authors and gurus who talk up scale, consultants who ‘help’ others scale and myriad businesses engaged in helping businesses scale.
There is an industry that supports scale because it is profitable for them. We’d put Shark Tank in the mix here.
We get that some people start their businesses to be uber successful so they can sell for a high price.
We are more interested in people who start a business because of a belief in what their business will do, what it does for and offers others, how lives benefit from and because of it. Often, these businesses are small, local.
The obsession on Shark Tank with profit and scale gives would-be entrepreneurs the wrong message. We’d rather see a show about local small businesses that make a difference locally. The thing is though, it may not be watchable TV. It may not have the pot of gold allure.
We need to celebrate successful local small businesses. The owners of those businesses are likely to be happy, satisfied.
Tower Systems serves local small business retailers. We are grateful to serve thousands of them, helping them be efficient, profitable and enjoyable. We see the value they bring to local communities every day and the employment they offer so many. In these businesses we see a terrific contribution to the economy.
Local small business retailers are vital to local towns. They make a difference. Kudos to them for this.
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