Is Bigger Really Always Better?

In our culture, we often equate the concept of bigger with being better. Getting a large ice cream cone will yield us more satisfaction than a smaller one, making $200,000 per year will make us happier than $100,000, and having a larger… well, you know.

It’s natural that the same idea applies to when you’re launching a new business. Oftentimes, before you even start, you’re already thinking about how you’re going to expand.

I found myself doing just that last year. When I was working with a partner on launching a hostel in New York, our plan from Day 1 was to go to about 5 locations within 5 years. We wanted to get the first one right within a year and a half and then begin to aggressively expand in other cities.

Thinking back to that moment now, I was struggling to figure out why was this the goal. Did running one location somehow feel inferior or was going to be less satisfying than 5? Was making more money worth having 5 times the headache? Was it worth spreading ourselves thin and potentially sacrificing quality in the never-ending pursuit of growth?

I’ve had a few answers for this. I suppose that it would’ve been more of a status symbol to be able to say that I own a national chain of hostels, instead of a single location in New York. And perhaps it would be interesting to be able to operate in different cities, as a learning experience. Finally, it’s also likely that having a larger chain would make it a more attractive business to be acquired down the line, so it would yield a bigger pay off. But, the most subtle yet powerful reason would probably be boredom. Within a year or two, if you build your business right, it ends up running yourself and you begin to seek out other challenges,

But would it make work and life more satisfying and happier? I ultimately don’t think so. More was not necessarily going to lead to a more fulfilling life.

Working in the current startup, we’re in a similar mode. The plan is to expand and become bigger and service more people as soon as we possibly can. Yet I can’t help but feel that we’re doing this on an autopilot, where we automatically equate bigger with being better and more successful. What if we only remained in one city, but did it really well? What if we never grew beyond a small staff of people and a base of loyal customers? What if it was a lifestyle business where you’d be able to keep a normal balance between life and work? Is that inherently bad because it doesn’t go with the “grow, grow, grow” mantra?

Ultimately, if becoming larger is something that you think will make your life and the business better, than by all means — go for it. However, before expanding for expansion’s sake, think about the true motivations behind this. There is a lot at stake.

Originally published at www.quarterlifemusings.com on October 1, 2010.