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Atlanta Business Chronicle Leadership Trust • A network of influential business leaders in your community

Bigger Isn′t Always Better: 4 Benefits of Staying Small

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The Business Journals Leadership Trust

By Barry Raber, Founder at Carefree RV Storage

Barry Raber, founder of Carefree RV Storage, is a member of the Entrepreneurs' Organization and an EO Portland's Entrepreneur of the Year.

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Entrepreneurs and business executives are culturally obsessed with maximizing business growth. And in the U.S., we’re arguably more focused on this than any other country. It is easy to get caught up in the mindset of business growth as a metric of success. As we say in America, “The sky’s the limit!”

When I started to research this article, my working title was How to break geographic self-bottlenecking. I planned to write about how to think bigger, expand into new markets and win the brass ring. However, after interviewing 10 local entrepreneurs, my mind was changed, and I had to change my angle as well, to Keep your business smaller.

When I asked these entrepreneurs why they weren’t expanding into other cities, almost every conversation quickly took a personal turn. I dug hard and asked tough questions, but each person shared compelling, well-thought-out reasons for not pursuing aggressive growth.

A vast majority of the 10 leaders had intentionally remained at their current business size, serving a smaller client base. This was a choice. And their reasons were shrewd, I realized, as I ruminated on these interviews. It even made me reconsider my own chosen path.

The benefits of not going “bigtime”

While bigtime founders enjoy a wild ride to the heights of success and often sell their companies for mind-boggling valuations, there are downsides to this trajectory. Once you reach those lofty heights, it is extremely stressful, often lonely and financially risky. There’s a steward-like responsibility that comes with financial success; and after selling the business, there is often a feeling of loss and even depression.

On the other hand, there are untold benefits of running a smaller, slower-growing company that creates strong personal satisfaction in multiple realms. Business success is not the only factor in leading a satisfying life — not by a long shot!

Consider these smaller-time benefits as you determine your growth strategy: The bigtime three

To go bigtime and build a company worth $20 million or more, there are three essential factors your business must have or be. When considering whether your company meets these standards, it’s crucial to be as honest and objective as possible. You might need to ask someone a little further removed (who’s not wearing your rose-colored, all-in glasses).

To find out if your business is set to go bigtime, answer these three questions:

1. Less work, less stress

When you’re grinding every resource to “10x” a company, stress levels skyrocket accordingly. Growing a company rapidly involves 80-hour work weeks for a long time, and even when you go home, you’re likely to bring work with you, mentally or emotionally.

Alternatively, staying smaller lends itself to fewer hours on the job and much lower stress levels. Stopping work at a reasonable hour each day and not working every weekend or thinking about workday and night has significant lifestyle and health advantages.

2. Focusing on quality

Delivering a high-quality product or service for people and knowing some of those people gives you a warm, fulfilled feeling that is so satisfying — it’s hard to describe. When scaling rapidly, you get very little (if any) of this feeling.

Not to mention, higher-quality products or services often pair with higher profit margins and a larger bottom line.

3. Family time

Do you and your significant other enjoy adventuring together? Do you want to have dinner with your family every day and spend the weekends doing home activities? Have you ever wanted to coach your kids’ sports teams, or at least be home for bedtime every night? By staying small, you can more easily make time for life’s most important priorities.

4. Pursuing outside interests

Maybe you’ve always wanted to teach a class at your local college, get more involved in your community or make an impact with a charitable organization that speaks to you. You might even train for an endurance sport, breed dogs, scuba dive or become a competitive Scrabble player. The value of having the time to explore and pursue your interests can’t be overstated.

Thoughts from fellow entrepreneurs

The answers I received from entrepreneurs who were intentionally managing a smaller business were heartwarming and sincere. A typical response sounded like, “Yes, Barry, I could have grown to other cities and expanded my company, but at what price? A broken marriage, not coaching my kids, financial risk or even a pretty solid income but less or no independence? Not worth it.”

Renée Rouleau, an Entrepreneurs’ Organization member in Austin, wrote a great article about her 25 Lessons in 25 Years, detailing lessons her entrepreneurship journey taught her. She summarized her feelings on growth this way: “I always knew I wanted to build a great company and not a big company putting people over profits. Because I’ve chosen to own 100% of my company, I have full control of every move, so I can grow slow and remain in control of my journey.”

She goes on to share that her beliefs get validated when she talks with other entrepreneurs who have grown their companies rapidly and taken outside investment only to experience total chaos and frustration. Well said, Renée!

Conclusion

In the end, what started as a “take over the universe” article became a “keep doing what you’re doing” article.

Each entrepreneur builds their company differently, and for reasons that bring deeper meaning to their individual experiences. As you consider your growth strategy, take a 360-degree look at what is possible, talk with leaders who have chosen different avenues and consider your core values and priorities as you set your course for the future.

With a thousand different paths leading to happiness and success, you’ll be grateful you took the time to consider the best way forward for you and your company.

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website.

Barry Raber, is an Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) Member, CEO of Business Property Trust, a Portland, Oregon, company that owns and manages RV storage through Carefree Covered RV Storage and self-storage through Bargain Storage. He is also a thought leader who shares experiences for businesses at Real Simple Business.

FAQ: Bigger Isn't Always Better — 4 Benefits of Staying Small in Business

Is keeping your business small a legitimate strategy, or is it just settling?

It's a completely legitimate — and for many entrepreneurs, deliberately chosen — strategy. Barry Raber set out to write an article about geographic expansion and thinking bigger, but after interviewing 10 local entrepreneurs, he reversed course entirely. A vast majority of them had intentionally kept their businesses at their current size, serving a smaller client base. These weren't founders who failed to grow. They made a thoughtful choice not to, for reasons that proved shrewd the more Raber examined them.

What are the 4 benefits of staying small in business?

The four most compelling benefits of keeping your business small, according to Barry Raber's research and entrepreneur interviews, are:

Less work, less stress — Fewer hours, no 80-hour work weeks, the ability to stop at a reasonable hour and genuinely disconnect after work.
Focusing on quality — Delivering exceptional products or services to people you actually know, which creates personal fulfillment and often supports higher profit margins.
More family time — Dinner with your family, weekend availability, coaching your kids' sports teams, being present for what matters most outside of work.
Freedom to pursue outside interests — Time to teach, volunteer, train for a sport, travel, or invest in any passion that gives your life meaning beyond the business.

What are the real downsides of growing a business to the bigtime?

While bigtime founders can achieve extraordinary financial outcomes, Raber is candid about the other side of the equation. Reaching that level is extremely stressful, often lonely, and financially risky. The bigger a company gets, the more steward-like the responsibility becomes — and many founders find that the day-to-day reality of running a large organization feels far less satisfying than building it did. After selling, many experience an unexpected sense of loss and even depression. The wild ride to the top is real, but so are its personal costs.

How does staying small reduce stress and improve quality of life?

Scaling a company rapidly means 80-hour work weeks that stretch on for years — and even when you physically leave the office, the business tends to follow you mentally and emotionally. Staying smaller lets you stop work at a reasonable hour, protect your weekends, and set boundaries that actually hold. The compounding effect of lower stress over time is significant: better health, more presence in your personal life, and the sustainable energy to keep doing work you genuinely enjoy. Growth at any cost has a personal cost — and it's one that many entrepreneurs underestimate until they're already paying it.

Can a small business still deliver high quality and be highly profitable?

Yes — and the two often go hand in hand. When you're not stretched across rapid scaling, you have the bandwidth to focus on the quality of your product or service. You can know your customers personally, understand their needs deeply, and deliver an experience that larger, faster-growing businesses simply can't match at scale. Higher-quality products and services also tend to command higher prices and generate stronger profit margins, which means a smaller business can be extremely profitable without needing massive revenue to get there.

What do real entrepreneurs say about choosing to stay small?

The conversations Barry Raber had with entrepreneurs who intentionally kept their businesses small were, as he put it, "heartwarming and sincere." A typical response: "Yes, Barry, I could have grown to other cities and expanded my company, but at what price? A broken marriage, not coaching my kids, financial risk or even a pretty solid income but less independence? Not worth it."

Renée Rouleau, an Entrepreneurs' Organization member based in Austin, captured it this way in her writing on 25 years of entrepreneurship: "I always knew I wanted to build a great company and not a big company, putting people over profits. Because I've chosen to own 100% of my company, I have full control of every move, so I can grow slow and remain in control of my journey." She also noted that her perspective gets validated every time she speaks with entrepreneurs who took outside investment and pursued rapid growth — only to experience what she describes as chaos and frustration.

Is staying small compatible with being successful?

Absolutely. Success is not synonymous with scale. A business that generates strong profits, delivers excellent products or services, supports a fulfilling lifestyle, and gives the founder time for family and personal interests is by any meaningful definition a success. The cultural obsession with growth — particularly in the U.S. — can make staying small feel like underachievement, but Raber's research suggests the opposite: many of the most personally satisfied entrepreneurs he's encountered are running intentionally small, focused businesses.

How do I know if staying small is the right choice for my business?

Start by separating what you want from what the culture around you tells you to want. Ask yourself: What does a deeply satisfying life look like — not just a successful business? How many hours per week do you want to be working five years from now? What relationships and experiences do you not want to sacrifice? What level of financial risk are you comfortable carrying? If your honest answers point toward balance, presence, and control rather than explosive growth, staying small isn't a fallback — it's your actual goal. Raber recommends doing a full 360-degree look at what's possible, speaking with entrepreneurs who have chosen different paths, and letting your core values and priorities guide the decision.

Can a small business still have a big impact?

Yes — and often more meaningfully than a large one. A smaller business can be deeply embedded in its community, maintain genuine relationships with its customers, and contribute meaningfully to charitable causes or local institutions in ways that a rapidly scaling company rarely has time or attention for. Many of the entrepreneurs Raber interviewed were more involved in their communities, more present in their families, and more personally fulfilled than their bigtime counterparts.

What's the difference between staying small by choice versus by limitation?

Staying small by choice means you've assessed your options — including growth — and made a deliberate decision that a smaller, focused business better serves your values, priorities, and definition of success. Staying small by limitation means you want to grow but lack the business model, capital, team, or market position to do so. The former is a strategy; the latter is a constraint. Raber's article is entirely about the former — the entrepreneurs he interviewed could have pursued aggressive growth. They chose not to. That distinction matters, both for how you think about your own business and how you feel about the path you're on.

Does staying small mean I can never grow later?

Not at all. Keeping your business intentionally small at one stage of your life doesn't lock you into that choice forever. Many entrepreneurs stay small during years when family demands are highest, then reassess once circumstances change. Others find that their business naturally grows through quality and reputation without requiring the aggressive pursuit of scale. The key is making growth an intentional decision rather than a default assumption — and being honest about what you're willing to trade for it at any given point in your life.