How a small business mentality can help you succeed

Mindset is everything in business. It guides our decision-making, helps us to adapt, and influences our relationships – leading to growth, resilience, and success.

Having the right mindset to succeed through change is not always easy, but what if I told you it could be simple?

What if, no matter our size, we think like a small business?
At Imaginary Forces, an LA-based studio with design and storytelling at our core, we produce creative work on a global stage. Some of our most iconic work includes the “N” in Netflix and the main titles for Stranger Things and Mad Men.

But here’s the thing
We started as a small-scale mom-and-pop business in 1996. It was a very different world compared to today. We’ve seen design-led companies evolve into hybrid production houses, we’ve adapted to the massive shift from linear broadcast to streaming and changed again with the emergence of AI. But through all of this change, one thing has remained the same: our small business mindset.

The eye of the storm
We’ve been in the storm of change many times. But for me, that’s a great place to be—change forces you to think about constantly improving on all fronts. No company, big or small, has the luxury of sitting back and waiting for things to happen. Yet, every company has the ability to adapt, evolve, and innovate. So why does the small business mindset work?

Scope and scale
Small businesses typically operate on a smaller scale, with fewer employees and resources. But even on a global scale, we experience the pressure to deliver something creatively impactful.

A small business mindset drives efficient use of resources to find creative solutions. For example, we’re a team of 30 people, but we work with a massive team of freelancers across the globe including animators, designers and directors.

Entrepreneurial spirit
Many small businesses are founded by entrepreneurs driven by passion and a desire to bring their ideas to life. They often play a direct and hands-on role in the day-to-day operations and adapt their position to suit the business needs.

I joined Imaginary Forces in 2019, just in time for a global pandemic! As the world changed, so did my role. I moved from general manager to a more sales-oriented position because that was what the business needed at the time.

Personalization
Small businesses can establish more personal connections with customers because of their size – leading to a deeper understanding of customer needs. But bigger companies can prioritise personalization too – and are proven to have a higher revenue as a result.

In a creative studio like ours, I’m always asking what challenges my clients are facing, how they are dealing with those challenges, and whether they are focused on the same goals as when we first came together. This insight is critical to our understanding of what they need and how we can help. Consider doing this with your clients, customers and partners.

Doing one thing well
Small businesses often specialize in a specific product, service, or market segment – which can give you a competitive edge. We are known for sophisticated title sequences, such as the closing titles for the latest Spiderman film No Way Home. Doing one thing well has built client loyalty and trust. And that foundational work has allowed us to to develop new offerings for clients that may know us for one exceptional thing. We’ve developed campaign work and internal global initiatives for companies like Prime Video, Google and Meta. Again this has helped shore up our business and build resilience.

Change and innovation
SMBs can experiment with new ideas and approaches – they can also take bigger risks for greater rewards. Taking risks is at the heart of what we do. Innovation allows us to create change within our company and creative process and helps us set the bar for the level of design excellence we are known for.

In business, the only thing you can depend on is change. Adopting a small business mindset has made us more resilient in the face of it – and it can help you too.

Good luck!