I was watching a video by YouTuber and entrepreneur Myron Golden not too long ago. He was lovingly yelling at his audience, telling us that we’re not thinking big enough.
It was inspiring and at first I thought,“Hell yea, Myron! I’m going to think much bigger!”
But then I thought about what I’m actually trying to build, and I realized something…
“Think Big” sounds good on paper, but is it actually the right path for most of us?
The “more is better” delusion
Have you heard of the parable of the American investment banker and the Mexican fisherman? Here it is in case you haven’t:
An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The Mexican replied, “only a little while.”
The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish?
The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.
The American then asked, “but what do you do with the rest of your time?”
The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, Maria, and stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life.”
The American scoffed. “I have an MBA from Harvard, and can help you,” he said. “You should spend more time fishing, and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, and eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middle-man, you could sell directly to the processor, eventually opening up your own cannery. You could control the product, processing, and distribution,” he said. “Of course, you would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles, and eventually to New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.”
The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”
To which the American replied, “Oh, 15 to 20 years or so.”
“But what then?” asked the Mexican.
The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time was right, you would announce an IPO, and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions!”
“Millions — then what?”
The American said, “Then you could retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you could sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, and stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play guitar with your amigos.”
(Story attributed to Heinrich Böll’s Anekdote zur Senkung der Arbeitsmoral.)
A friend of mine visited the Dominican Republic and came back obsessed with helping a local tour guide scale with a website and marketing funnels. Why? If he has enough to fund his life and zero of the stress, why does he need more?
That’s when I realized that Myron’s “think big” advice wasn’t wrong. It’s just wrong for some of us who are already enjoying life’s pleasures. It means trading “think big” for something more reasonable.
The power of the tiny
Recently I shared a link to a friend’s product in one of my newsletters. It’s not a $999 masterclass filled with stuff you don’t need. Quite the opposite.
It’s a tiny digital product with a tiny price tag that solves one specific, annoying problem.
I sold nine of them in a single day.
People are tired of the big promise that under-delivers. They are looking for simple systems that don’t overwhelm them with information. They want the $7 or $9 solution that actually works so they can get back to their lives.
This is the future of the digital creator…
Why build a big corporate empire when a mini digital empire will do?
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