Antiscale
This week's letter is a little shorter than most, but touches on something that often gets lost in the never ending quest for 'more'. In the tech world, the mantra is if you're not growing, you're dying. Well, that kinda goes with all aspects of life. If you're not learning, not curious, not growing within, you're also dying. That, I believe.
None of us are static. Nothing in life is static. The difference is the speed of the ebb and flow.
Here's to more flow than ebb.
Luciano Giubbilei is one of my favorite garden designers for his attention to detail and form. His gardens are timeless. Yet he acknowledges that a garden shows us that nothing is static. Gardens change with the seasons, even with the weeks. Trees, which can easily outlive us, are also ephemeral. Branches fall in storms.
I've seen that just this winter on the large elms in my neighborhood that crashed down in the ice storm. Gardens also have their own timeframe. You can't rush plants. They come into their own pretty much as they wish. Yes, you can coax them with a lot of effort. But for most of us, plants do as they please assuming we give them the requisite care they need.
A garden matures and dies. It is always evolving. Even the smallest of plots. Mine is on a 50 x 100 lot I've been working on for the two years I've lived here. You'd think it'd be simple to wrangle, but not exactly. I've changed the design several times. And will several more before arriving at a design that feels 'right'. An organic process I call it. Makes me think how daunting a task a big garden is. Or then, big gives you the luxury of space to hide behind. Small magifies every decison. Both need vision. Attention. Coordination. Scale matters. Scale is deceptive.
You have to understand how the dimensions of space, light, time and climate work together and select plants and materials to create a cohesive whole. Few of us have the patience. Or the design sense. Speaking from experience, staring at the best garden designers doesn't tranform you into an award winning designer. You must do the work. You must try and fail. And do it all over again.
You are always evolving. As are companies.
From Warren Buffet, would you believe that of the 20 largest companies by market cap in 1989 zero - yes, zero - are on the list for 2021? (Data courtesy of The Hustle)
Clearly we've established that the only constant is change. But what about the quest for scale? Back to the notion of if you're not growing, you're dying?
Here's where I suggest anti scale. What if bigger wasn't always the goal? Why does growth always mean you have to be bigger? Maybe growth is multidimensional. Like a garden.
What if there was longevity in the power of one? The power of you? Yes, just you?
Often scale is demanded by investors seeking an exit. If they invest and you don't scale, they don't realize the multiples of their investment they expect. Angel investors know that only 1 in 10 bets actually pays off. Most fail. A numbers game.
But you?
You can fail but reinvent.
You can grow and then decide to pivot.
You can grow and then decide that's enough.
When it's just you, scale is what you choose it to be. If you don't take on outside investment, you have only you to answer to.
That's a pretty sweet place to be.
Now, I'm not suggesting that growth is bad. Or that investment is bad. Heck, a high-growth tech company can be an exhilarating ride. Depends on how you're wired.
But less talked about, because it's less newsworthy, are the soloprenuers forging their own path. Beating their own drum.
Don't think such a venture can't be immensely rewarding. I don't have the exact figures but Ben Thompson of Stratechery reportedly brings in north of $3 million per year with just himself. Maybe he has a little help, but it's mainly him.
The Drudge Report is also said to bring in several million with Matt Drudge and a couple others.
In the quest for success, there's more than scale to consider. It depends on what you want and where you want to go. Remarkable success can really just be you.
You can can choose not to scale. But you can't choose not to grow.