David Vs Goliath – 5 Reasons Why The Smaller Blogger Has It Better

I’ve been blogging for over 5 and half years and even though I have a good readership, in the grand scheme of things, I’m still a small-time blogger.

I know many people who wish they could start-up a blog but they feel that competition is too great. They feel lost in a sea of both giants and smaller fish. They think ‘how could I ever stand out?’

In the classic story of David Vs Goliath, it is shown that the small can conquer the big. You only have to watch WWE wrestling to see people like Rey Mysterio or Sin Cara taking on the people who are twice as big and emerging victorious.

It’s true, there are an unlimited number of small bloggers and smaller number of popular, well-known bloggers, but in total, they comprise a significant figure. The principle and thought process is exactly the same if you were starting a business or any other kind of venture.

You could let the fear of the competition stop you from taking the plunge and you’ll then never know what you could’ve accomplished.

In any industry, you will be in juxtaposition to competitors big and small, but there’s a few advantages that you will always have to the big playa’s! 😉

1. Niche development

Most of the bigger players have a very solidified niche which is very difficult to escape from. One of the biggest bloggers out there, I get the email updates of the new posts regularly and typically it’s the same content, again and again, totally rehashed.

I’m very bored of seeing the same content over and over again. There’s plenty to be created and explored but they cannot because they are stuck.

This is where you can fine tune your niche. Create a new one or one that will somehow live on for always. I don’t think the nice of ‘living consciously’ will ever disappear and I’m only ever limited by my imagination.

2. Experimenting

Because I’m small I have the opportunity of being creative and trying something a bit different.

It may not always work but, I can take bigger risks. Any flops I can chalk down to experimentation.

I can then repeat the experimentation process until I hit jackpot. You can’t really experiment when you’re a big player. You’ll lose clients and readers and most importantly, they’ll probably think you’ve lost the plot.

3. No one will steal your ideas

The other advantage of being small is that people are less likely to steal your ideas. You have less to protect and much less to lose. You don’t have to look far into the papers to see some new lawsuit being filed against the poor Mark Zuckerberg. I don’t envy him at all and I definitely don’t ever want to be in that position.

Another big one was recently was the whole Nokia Vs Apple fiasco which has been finally resolved but there were lawsuits and counter lawsuits flying back and fourth. It was a real mess.

4. More personal connections

The other wonderful thing about being a smaller player is the connections you form with your loyal clients/readers. I know many other bloggers and have connected with them, in some cases, in person.

Staying with the example of blogging. The challenge that the larger players have is that they don’t know whether people are connecting with them to enrich them or to leech from them. Not all of them, but some of the one’s I’ve met or come across, have themselves come across as a bit guarded because they don’t know what to expect from the people they meet.

5. Respect flows both ways

The reverse is also true. Not only will you feel closer to your clients, to the people you serve, but they will also feel closer to you. So long as you don’t betray that trust, the connection will remain.

I only have to think about my relationship with my bank recently and I feel angry and frustrated at the way I’ve been treated. The only reason I’ve been treated this way is because it’s such a giant entity, the concept of ‘personal connection’ is totally lost and can never be revived.

The benefit of being small is that your clients will show you appreciation when you treat them well and likewise, you will have the time to treat your clients as individuals and real people rather than just a big clump of money.

Do no despair if you are a new blogger or you are starting a new business in a crowded market. Just as you will be at a disadvantage, equally, you will have countless advantages over the competition. You just have to truly see it for what it is.

25 Responses

  1. Daniel M. Wood says:

    Hey Amit,

    There are some good points you make. Being smaller is in many ways a blessing. We all want to grow and become the top dog but taking our time and building something of high value from the ground up is worth so much more.

    • Amit Sodha says:

      Hey Daniel,

      Very true. I don’t think I’d want to swap positions with a bigger blogger, for one I’d rather do it on my own so as to be more grounded from that process and the growth experience I believe is totally invaluable.

  2. Lisa H. says:

    Hi Amit,
    This was perfect timing for me. I have been enjoying the advantages of being a small blogger for a year now and am ready for the disadvantages of being a large blogger. LOL.

  3. Sibyl Chavis says:

    Really good points you make here. I think you are so right that one of the best things about blogging is being able to establish great relationships in the blogosphere. I think the dynamics just change once you are too big and no longer able to do that well. Great points and post.

    • Amit Sodha says:

      Hey Sibyl,

      I think I’m a tiny bit of a hypocrite since it’s taken me so long to respond to your comment but at least I know who you actually are! LOL but I agree.

      I won’t lie, I do want to be bigger, but I’m glad I’m making that journey gradually.

  4. Law Of Attraction says:

    Hi Amit.

    A great post! I like #2 on your list. I think it’s a great thing to be able to experiment and change direction if you feel compelled to do so. Most of the big boys can’t afford to switch topics too much for fear of losing their audience.

    I initially started an internet marketing blog, but I switched gears and went into a more personal development direction, without suffering any repercussions and expressing myself better than ever.

    Great advice, definitely!

    Josip Barbaric

    • Amit Sodha says:

      Hey Josip,

      So glad you made the transition so painlessly. It’s great that you got to know yourself and your values better before you perhaps even had to continue something that you didn’t enjoy as much.

      Welcome and thank you for the comment.

  5. Baker says:

    Nice post here. Def a new way at looking at it! Great advice.

  6. I’d actually probably disagree about “No one will steal your ideas”.
    Certainly in terms of viral marketing, I’ve seen many recent advertising campaigns which have stolen from small websites’ ideas. There are even blogs set up to call people’s attention to such theft.

    The great thing about the web is that everyone has the same chance of being successful due to the small overheads involved in putting their work live, but sadly that success will often be copied by advertising firms.

  7. i believe all you have here is true. thank you for sharing it. this is really nice of you.

  8. skittles234 says:

    Hi Amit you’ve raised some very interesting points here and as I understand, this doesn’t just apply to blogging but every new business venture right?

    Even though what you’ve said is 110% true, there still is that fear of competition from the “wiser, more experienced” crowd… And not just in the world of blogging, but in any new business venture or even business idea. Those that have been in a particular field of work for decades longer than us novices, have understandably more experience and knowledge on the subject so it’s difficult for people like me, who wish to start something new or restart something from years ago, to stand out from the crowd…

    What are your views on this?

    • Amit Sodha says:

      My view on that is quite simple…sure, the older veteran has more experience, but the question is, what do you have, that they do not? What is your USP? What particular thing do you have that gives you the edge or a niche and therefore could make you stand-out from the others? There is always something that you separate you from the crowd, so your job is to see it out! 🙂

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