Pufferfish Tactics: Small Business In A Big Pond

Why on earth would you want to look larger as a small business? One might say that you’re just trying to be something you’re not and that will only end up in tears. You’ll overload yourself and you will ruin your reputation by not being able to fill the demand, etc, etc. This is all well and good if you’re trying to nail down investment or perhaps trying to grow too fast just for the sake of it. But, if you are trying to improve your brand image, your customer awareness and also, work with foreign clients, then you have nothing to worry about. Do you honestly think you’re the only one trying to become a pufferfish? Many SMEs are trying to broaden their shoulders, blow out their chest and seem like the bigger, better, bolder option compared to their competitors. So, if you’re going to do something, do it right.

Leading the industry

Now some might say you’ve got to have a brass neck to stand up in front of industry experts and companies that have been around for a lot longer than you and tell them which way the wind should be blowing. Becoming a thought leader while owning a small business, isn’t so farfetched these days. In fact, you could say that large businesses are desperate to be told where the industry should be heading. Why?

Take a look at recent history and you’ll find some of the best ecommerce companies like Flipkart have been bought out by Walmart. Some of the best social media websites like Instagram were bought out by Facebook. Even the giant that is YouTube, was a humble startup that Google quickly snapped up. If you feel that you are a force to be reckoned with because your products have one foot in the present and one foot in the future, you should be confident to take up a speaker role at industry events and conferences.

Leading the industry

Spread your message

Let’s face it, the media is always looking for a story. It’s their business to talk about business. So, don’t be shy about asking for an interview with your local, regional and a national media outlet. First things first, you need a plan.

Half call the shots, by making a list of the things you want to talk about and what kinds of questions you would like asked.
You should also be willing to pay for the travel of the journalist that is coming to see you.
Prepare your office and other business buildings as you would as if you’re being inspected.
Allow the journalist to take photos and videos of certain things such as your employees working at their desks, the lounge room, your warehouse storage and other aspects of your daily professional working areas.

If you’re ready and willing to do these things, invite the media of all kinds to your headquarters. Be sure that you know who you’re talking to and what kind of limelight you will be getting, such as a national broadcaster, business magazine or independent YouTube influencer, etc.

Accepting real-world documents

When you enter the big leagues, you’re going to need to start acting as you belong. You don’t need to be a medium or large business to fit in. but, you do need to project an image that sits well with those in this category of an enterprise. A physicaladdress is one of the things you need. Investors, B2B partners as well as government bodies that regulate your sector and or industry, need to be able to send you real-world documents. This usually happens because they don’t rely on purely online services. With a virtual mailbox, you get a service that is secure and modern. All your mail is opened only by the professional in-house team, so no one else reads your private information. The mail will then be scanned and sent to you directly. You can either shred the documents or have them sent to you if you wish. But why have a virtual address anyway? It looks better to have a suite address in a large high-rise commercial office building than a small building in an office park somewhere. You want to stand out, don’t you!?

A stamp of authority

Create a corporate stamp/seal which you can have both digitally and physically put on all relevant documents. It will consist of your logo, date of establishment and your business name. This might look old-fashioned by it’s still heavily in use in large corporate companies. It’s something you’d use when signing a contract.

It’s not easy being a small fish in a large pond, but with some of these tactics you can at least, puff out your chest and draw media, investors and clients to you much easier.

Pufferfish Tactics: Small Business In A Big Pond

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