Tiny Start-Ups: Why Small Businesses Are the Next Big Thing
Micro and small enterprises are increasingly becoming a desirable and attractive business model in the start-up and entrepreneurial landscape. The author and small business duo Veronika Bellone and Thomas Matla have experienced the reasons and success factors for this first-hand from 27 Tiny Start-Ups in German-speaking countries as well as Finland, Sweden and Spain and documented them in their current book as inspiration for all existing and future Tiny entrepreneurs.
The book with the title "Happy with Tiny Start-Ups - Why Small Businesses are the Next Big Thing," (Redline Publishing). has been in bookstores since November 13, 2019. And that's what it's all about: micro and small enterprises have always accounted for a large share of all companies in the German-speaking world. In Switzerland it is 98.2 percent, in Germany it is 96.3 percent and in Austria around 98 percent of all companies. Nevertheless, apart from specific, mostly regional startup events or in TV formats such as "Höhle der Löwen," they are rarely if ever in the spotlight.
Tiny Start-Ups: The unknown economic factor
This is now changing: Veronika Bellone and Thomas Matla, themselves convinced Tiny entrepreneurs for over two decades, have researched the diverse cosmos of the smallest and smallest startups as well as existing companies of this size. They interviewed 27 Tiny-Startuppers in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Finland and Spain and discovered remarkable entrepreneur and company stories. With the intention of making this valuable wealth of experience and ideas accessible to other (entrepreneurial) newcomers as well as existing Tiny Start-Ups in terms of inspiration, orientation and practical support, their book "Glücklich mit Tiny Start-Ups" (Happy with Tiny Start-Ups) was born.
The content ranges from effective self-checks for an initial personal assessment of the current situation to a wealth of practical suggestions based on the authentic experience reports of the Tiny Startupers and concrete pointers for the development of one's own business idea. A "moose test" with 13 questions on the stability of one's own business concept concludes the practical information section of the book.
The author duo shows the advantages of smart micro-enterprises, explains which requirements have to be met, which business concepts already exist and how it is possible to be happy with one's own Tiny Start-Up.
Tiny Startupper - the "happier" entrepreneurs
"Business founders and self-employed people are mostly people who actively shape their own lives in a self-responsible way, which contributes significantly to their happiness. They are significantly oriented towards their needs, desires and values and consistently act accordingly. As microentrepreneurs, the Tiny Startupers can take this creative freedom to the greatest possible extent, align their business model very closely to the individual private and professional 'happiness factors' - and that makes them happy, you could also say more satisfied," says Veronika Bellone, explaining the insights gained from the very authentic statements of the Tiny Startupers interviewed.
This is confirmed by Philipp and Pascal Luder, founders of the Zurich Pasta Barn & Müesli Bar, who fully rely on their flexibility, freedom of decision and speed as small entrepreneurs. Their success proves them right. André Göbel, co-founder of Popkornditorei in Berlin, sees it the same way. He appreciates this especially in comparison to the so-called start-up unicorns, where the founders often have little to decide quickly due to large shareholdings. For Nadia Koss, Soulmarks Tattoo & Piercing in Zug, Switzerland, and Brendan and Sina, of Techtinyhouse Stuttgart, happiness factors also lie in realizing their own ideas.
Why Tiny Start-Ups are the Big Thing in the Future
With dominant issues such as demographic change, climate change and, above all, digital transformation, society is facing extensive changes. Disruptive business concepts, artificial intelligence and robotics are redefining the world of work. On the one hand, increasing automation threatens job losses, while at the same time new fields of activity are emerging. Cumbersome structures and organizations are losing their effectiveness in this environment, which demands rapid responsiveness and agility, even complete rethinking. Smart "niche players" are in demand who can serve newly emerging needs in the market both professionally and individually.
The business model and philosophy of Tiny Start-ups fit these challenging conditions very well, thanks in part to their flexibility, high degree of customization, manageable growth, and mostly sustainable focus. "Growth is not everything, after all. It is often much more sensible and healthier to do business well and sustainably, especially with less pressure to perform and grow. Many people will learn that the fear of a possible job loss is much more detrimental to their health than actually building up their own small business," sums up Thomas Matla.
Rounded off with this conclusion, the book published by Redline-Verlag also sees itself as a plea for economic reason, professional independence and a self-determined life.
