Beata Leyland
Small Business Owner & Author of this article
A huge trend shown by Millennials and GenZ (but not only) leaving big corporations and starting their own business showcases so many innovations.
Intrigued ?
When I think about small businesses, my first association is a local store with an owner which everyone likes and has great food.
All of us have such lovely and cherished memories related to small businesses, so it’s not a surprise to see a huge trend of SME growing on a global scale.
Yes, part of the market needs will be covered by huge enterprises with big logos, aggressive market statements (to secure low prices), but the truth is that a charm which comes from SME is something what can’t be replaced by any decoration.
Honestly, figures tell us everything we should know about how powerful of an entity a small business is.
Figures Worldwide
Power of small businesses is huge, because only in the U.S. 97-99% of all companies are small companies (entity below 500 employees).
Such businesses hire 43-47% of overall labour force so diminishing an impact of this part of the market would be a huge understatement.
Sectors covered by small entities are not only hospitality, food , healthcare, construction and retail, professional and business services (like us !) and technology and internet.
In Europe, statistics look very similar: 99% of the market share, and a huge backbone of innovation.
In Africa, 80-90% companies belong to SME category.
In Southeast Asia 97%, 98% in Australia, 99% Latin America and the Caribbean.
Why SME is such a gift for all of us?
SME is Small to Medium Size Enterprise (based on the global definition it oscillates somewhere between 0-250-500 employees).
It’s a type of enterprise known as flexible, innovative, without stiff structures, more agile, faster way of decision making, focused on local or global needs, and more on niche markets.
Human touch is first which comes to my mind when I think about further characteristic, with much higher quality than mass production on the market, a story told by owners, a natural respect towards clients, and authenticity.
By choosing to support SME you chose a better future for yourself as you cannot put a price tag on everything and race to compete for the lowest price possible.
Marketing
SME are known from mouth to mouth marketing, as testimonials and recommendations define quality.
Methods which are organic, that don’t scream or overpromise but rather are based on good quality to price ratio with a story told by founders.
Thanks to AI, SME can expand through online marketing without spending crazy money.
I found it fantastic that now it is possible to buy the best shoes done by a local shoemaker simply online instead of relying on cheap, uncomfortable shoes just because I don’t have a good shoemaker close to me.
On social media (Instagram, TikTok, Facebook) there are so many fantastic artisans showing their work and story, and you can almost smell their workstation.
Christmas season is a great time to see how many amazing ornaments we can buy, and a good question is do we want to have full tree of all the same ornaments or few but with soul and story behind it.
What big companies try to say by spending millions of dollars, small company says it just because of existence.
Think about it before you will buy something again based on a screaming campaign on TV (or YouTube).
Innovation
A huge trend shown by Millennials and GenZ (but not only) leaving big corporations and starting their own business showcases so many innovations.
These people choose a meaningful, fulfilling life, and are not afraid to work, and gosh, the level of creativity which you can see on their websites is astounding.
They are no longer limited by corporate policies and can create clever slogans and have meetings where employees are not afraid to speak up and voice their ideas… this open dialogue culture where you have a company brainstorm is exactly taken from small companies where for the most part you truly don’t have a distinct hierarchy.
Again, big companies spend crazy money to pretend be there although their entire system is designed to not embrace human creativity.
Yes, R&D budget of big tech vs computer shop is nothing to be comparable in terms of revenue, but you can easily compare these entities based on human talent as many times better computer geeks are located in smaller companies due to refusal of being a part of toxic companies’ culture.
If we jump again to section figures, real human capital is not always where the big money is.
There’s a reason why people are so massively burned out and leave from toxic workplaces as money can’t buy peace of mind at workplace.
AI plays a huge role with expansion of small businesses through marketing, accessibility to resources, accessibility to bigger audiences and telling your story.
E-com is such a great example of it. Booming part of the market, full of extremely talented people with amazing work ethic and agility.
A bit about us
As a part of SME landscape myself I can’t praise this sector more as a freedom of expression my own creativity , gathered knowledge from my clients, and drive which this sector has is nothing what you can compare to very well-paid job, with 6 weeks of holiday in nice part of the globe.
We are creators, all of us like to do new things and learn at our own pace.
We live in a time where we have the tools to do so.
We can help each other, share knowledge, and grow together.
That’s the reason why Leyland Consulting was created: to show / help so many who are miserable at work, yet such talented people to wake up, and start something new.
We can help with the first steps, coaching, company creation check-list, business plan, marketing, and expansions.
If you have an idea but are not sure where you could start, book a consultation with us.
We are an affordable, down-to-earth company which has a global outreach.
All team members have international experience and background for a reason: to build bridges not divisions.