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Mentor Wisdom: “Stay small until you’ve figured out what’s working.” - Naval Ravikant
Mentor Lesson: Stay small until you figure it out
The pizza shop owner who tried to open five locations in his first year just filed for bankruptcy last month.
Meanwhile, his buddy who spent that same year perfecting one tiny storefront just bought his second location with cash.
Funny how that works, right?
Naval Ravikant nailed it when he said "Stay small until you've figured out what's working." But most people hear this advice and think it means playing it safe or thinking small forever.
That's not what he meant at all.
Think of it like learning to ride a bike. You don't start by entering the Tour de France.
You wobble around the driveway first, figure out balance, then gradually pick up speed and distance.
Business works the same way.
The magic happens when you resist the urge to scale before you understand what makes your customers tick, what problems you actually solve, and how to deliver value consistently.
Big companies know this secret.
Amazon started by selling books from a garage. Facebook launched at just one college. Even McDonald's began as a single burger joint before becoming the golden arches empire.
The beauty of staying small is that mistakes cost pennies instead of fortunes.
You can pivot quickly, test new ideas without massive risk, and actually listen to your customers instead of drowning in the chaos of rapid expansion.
Plus, small lets you be scrappy and creative in ways that big operations simply cannot match.
Once you crack the code on what works, then you can pour gas on the fire and scale like crazy. But not before.
As promised, wisdom in under a minute.
Talk soon,
-Chris
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