In a small town—like, blink-and-you-miss-it small—about an hour south of Nashville, there’s a small business that you’ve probably never heard of producing unique, high-end, world-class leather goods that are sold and shipped worldwide. They really don’t do much marketing, but they deliver exceptional products and exceptional service, and this company you’ve probably never heard of is a thriving multi-million dollar business.
The name of the company is Colonel Littleton, and the formula is quite simple and one that you’ll see repeated often if you look closely at brands and businesses that you respect and admire. Show up every day and be excellent in the ordinary by taking care of your team and focusing on the little things you can do to exceed expectations.
Colonel Littleton also doesn’t have any competition. Oh, sure, there are lots of high-end leather-goods purveyors in the world that sell similar products, but the Colonel doesn’t have to worry about that. He’s created a market all his own by intentionally focusing on building his brand one customer at a time.
As Walt Disney once said…
Whatever you do, do it well. Do it so well that when people see you do it, they will want to come back and see you do it again, and they will want to bring others and show them how well you do what you do.
By thinking small and focusing on your brand, your team, your customer, your market—things that you can actually control—you can build a big business that you’re proud of, that makes an impact in your community and possibly even around the world.