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[rohenw-blog]

Few things in life are more fulfilling and heartwarming than being able to make your wife happy 😄 • Just over a year of marriage and I can only see this becoming a stronger partnership together. Couldn’t have asked for a better best friend 🤗 • A happy wife is a happy life! 😂😂😂🌟 • #happywife #birthdaygirl #smallthingsinlife #partnership (at Hokandara South, Sri Lanka) https://www.instagram.com/p/BtH3LaqhnsU/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=zmnyhbr2ns4q

[rohenw-blog]

To the naughtiest Golden Retriever I know ❤️🐶 • #goldenretriever #mansbestfriend #dogsofinstagram #buttfluff #peanut https://www.instagram.com/p/BsN-_PAhnH2/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1i83acpn0tbp1

[rohenw-blog]

That amazing throwback to our trip to Spain and Portugal. It feels like a lifetime ago, but travel is such an important part of growth. . Sometimes it’s easy to get super sucked into work and deny yourself the pleasure of travel. Ironically, plugging out regularly from intense focused work allows you to tap into creative ideas and inspiration that will allow you to take your work to the next level. . A definitely New Years revolution for me in 2019 is to travel more! And not the extravagant overseas kind, but more of the Island-wide exploration. . Does anyone have any tips and secret spots to travel within Sri Lanka? Would love to hear about them! . #travel #growthmindset #unplug #srilanka #topicaltravel (at Sintra, Portugal) https://www.instagram.com/p/Br7GYejBkVx/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1p16vofdpxhwg

[rohenw-blog]

The Power of Thinking Small

We want it all. It’s safe to say that that’s probably the most human characteristic the lot of us are blessed/cursed with.

I hate to be a downer. But you can’t have it all.

And you shouldn’t want it.

Starting a new venture is alway exciting. The energy is rushing through you and you’re pumped. You want to try and get your idea across to as many people as possible and you want them all to buy in to your product/service. However, I think that’s where most of us lose the plot.

Instead of trying to appeal to as many people as possible, I suggest trying to appeal to the smallest viable market possible. Just enough to get by. The complete opposite to wanting it all.

The Minimal Viable Market

So why the minimal viable market?

It’s what allows you to truly explore and give personality to whatever it is you are trying to create. Superzooming in on that niche will give your project soul and will allow you to actually differentiate your product/service from the cookie cutter ‘mass appeal’ options out there.

Facing up to this reality of ‘thinking small’ and being focused is a daunting and unnerving but ultimately liberating endeavor. And as contradictory as it might sound, it’s actually going to set the foundation for long-term growth for your business.

Case in Point

Take for example my experiences and setbacks with the product/market fit of Carlo Boy.

At the beginning I wanted the brand to be everyone’s cup of tea - I wanted to appeal to as many people as possible. Believing, falsely, that it would lead to more sales! By doing this, I lost authenticity. The brand lost its identity and it became a generalist. The fastest way to mediocrity.

I now feel that I need to take a step back. Focus on the minimal viable market that would appreciate my product. And cater to that niche full-throttle. Short term setbacks for long term growth. It’s about that long game.

4. Friends and Thinking Small

Applying abstract concepts across different spheres of life allows you to find synergies that are at work across the Universe. The concept of ‘think small’ can be applied to the Friends we keep and the tribes we subscribe to.

I have absolutely no qualms with someone having a billion friends. I’m not hating. I’m just trying to make the point that by over-extending yourself in order to have as many friends might not be the healthiest philosophy to subscribe to. Quality over quantity right? It’s invigorating how a small niche group of friends will allow you to grow and expand as an individual. So fear not the scorn of the tribe - you’ll never find out who you truly are by trying to please everyone. But hey, this is a long-form conversation for another post!

Conclusion

Quit trying to please everyone and stop being a generalist at work and life. Play in the extremes, that’s where the action is - growth will follow if you’re authentic with your product/service and focus on that niche. Think Small and create something amazing!