In Search of Companies More Interested in Being Great Than Big

About this episode

The episode explores the Small Giants movement and its focus on building great companies rather than just pursuing growth.

Twenty years ago, Bo Burlingham gave a name to a feeling a lot of business owners had struggled to articulate. In his book Small Giants , Bo profiled companies that had chosen not to chase growth at all costs. Most were bootstrapped, owner-operated businesses that cared less about getting big than about building something enduring, meaningful, and excellent. They weren’t anti-growth. They just wanted growth to be intentional. And for many owners who read the book, the reaction was immediate: “I thought I was the only one who felt this way.” Out of that recognition grew a community—and eventually an organization—led in large part by Paul Spiegelman, whose own company embodied the Small Giants philosophy. With Bo’s encouragement, Paul launched the Small Giants organization 15 years ago to connect owners trying to build great companies without sacrificing culture, independence, or quality of life. At our recent 21 Hats Live gathering in Cincinnati, we explored where that movement goes next in a Brainstorm session with Jean Moncrieff, who took over leadership of the Small Giants organization last year. Jean—who’s from South Africa, lives in Zurich, but is moving to the U.S.—brings…

People in this episode

Host: 21 Hats

Guest: Jean Moncrieff

Topics covered

• business philosophy
• company culture
• intentional growth
• entrepreneurship
• community building

Keywords

• Small Giants
• Bo Burlingham
• Paul Spiegelman
• Jean Moncrieff
• business culture
• entrepreneurship
• intentional growth
• community
• Finding Freedom

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Small Giants organization

Books & works: Small Giants, Finding Freedom: The Business Owner’s Guide to Building a Valuable Company

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