A Lesson I Still Think About Today
Over the years I've read plenty of business books, listened to interviews and picked up advice from all sorts of places.
But one of the most valuable lessons I ever received came much earlier in my career from my first boss at a magazine company.
He said something that has stayed with me ever since.
"It doesn't matter if you're the biggest part of the pie. It just matters that you're part of the pie."
At the time it sounded like a simple comment.
Looking back, I think it quietly shaped the way I've approached every business I've built since.
Competition Stopped Feeling Scary
When you're starting a business, it's easy to look at the biggest companies in your industry and wonder how you could ever compete with them.
They have larger budgets.
More staff.
More customers.
More experience.
For a long time, I think many people assume that means there's no point even trying.
That single sentence completely changed how I looked at it.
I didn't need the whole pie.
I just needed a slice.
Finding My Own Space
Once I stopped worrying about becoming the biggest, I started looking for places where I could simply do something differently.
Sometimes that meant making an existing process easier.
Sometimes it meant spotting an opportunity before larger businesses noticed it.
Sometimes it simply meant serving a smaller audience better than anyone else.
Throughout my career I've found myself competing against businesses that were far larger than mine.
I've done it with affiliate websites.
I've done it with wholesale businesses.
I'm doing it today with software and technology projects.
The interesting thing is that I've never really felt like I was trying to beat them.
I was simply trying to build my own place in the market.
Being Small Can Be an Advantage
One thing I've learned is that being small isn't always a weakness.
In many situations, it's actually an advantage.
Small businesses can often:
- Move more quickly.
- Experiment with new ideas.
- Change direction without layers of approval.
- Focus on problems that larger organisations overlook.
Large companies have strengths that smaller businesses don't.
But the opposite is true as well.
Being flexible allows you to adapt in ways that are much harder for larger organisations.
You Don't Have to Win Everything
I think one of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make is believing success only comes from becoming number one.
In reality, many successful businesses thrive without dominating their industry.
They build loyal customers.
They solve specific problems well.
They become known for something valuable.
That's often enough.
Trying to own the entire market can become a distraction from building a business that genuinely serves the customers you already have.
The Advice Still Shapes My Thinking
That one sentence has quietly influenced almost every project I've worked on.
Whether I'm creating TikTok Shop content, building software, working on Loyalty or experimenting with a new idea, I don't spend much time worrying about who the biggest competitors are.
Instead, I ask a much simpler question.
Can I create something useful that earns its own place?
If the answer is yes, then that's enough reason to build it.
What I'm Focusing on Next
The internet continues to create new markets and new opportunities.
There will always be businesses with bigger budgets, larger teams and greater resources.
I've made peace with that a long time ago.
I'm not trying to own the whole pie.
I'm just trying to build something valuable enough to deserve my own slice.