• You don't have to have a new idea.
• If you want to be big, think big.
• Eat, drink and sleep the business.
• Read everything you can get your hands on about business.
• Radio advertising is cost-effective.

What do you think?  Why is bigger better in this particular type of business and why is it hard to be the biggest and the fastest?

Possible answer: The more employees Marc has on his payroll, the better rates he can negotiate for benefits. And the bigger he gets, the harder it is to move fast. The beauty of big can be negated by the burden of big. Bureaucracy can slow a company to the point that competitors can run circles around it. Marc is holding on to his flat management structure while adding customers.

Big Idea #2: If you want to be big, think big. Unlike a "Mom-and-Pop" shop owner who never intends to grow beyond himself, growth must be your number one goal from the beginning.

What do you think?  How do you "think big?"

Answer:  Remember Neal Patterson? You must remove yourself from the present and imagine what you want your future to be. You also "think" people. You can't do a big job alone. If you only seeing yourself doing everything, then you'll never hire people. Or, you might only hire people who can just follow your orders which will not help you create a big company. To get big, you must hire people who are smarter than you and let them do their job.

Also, your business must have the capacity to grow. If you choose a niche so small that you alone can fill all of the need in the world then you'll never have a big company. And, that's OK! For insight on how to get unstuck from your present size and grow, study Darby McQuade of Jackalope. Also, you can learn from Ron Altoon, Bill Hagstrom and Ebby Halliday.

Big Idea #3: Eat, drink and sleep the business. By this, Marc means, focus and commit yourself. It takes incredible focus to create the explosive growth he has experienced. But, when you pour yourself into a good idea, it's worth it.

You think back:  If you decide to eat, drink, sleep the business, what affect will this have on the rest of your life?

Answer: Your life can become so unbalanced that your business becomes your entire existence. You risk alienating relationships with family and friends. If you "become" your business, normal business fluctuation can devastate you emotionally.

What seems to work over the long haul is you must eat, drink and sleep the business in the startup phase then as you hire great people and let go of parts of the company you can spend more time on your personal life. Also, when your family loves the business as much as you do, they understand your motivation to work long hours. Let's face it, you are going to do what you love. So, if you love work, you will be spending most of your time working.

Nothing great has ever been done with an eight-to-five mentality. There are many here at SmallBusinessSchool.com who see their work and personal lives as seamless. To study those business owners, go to Jim Morris Environmental T-Shirts, EcoNatural, Medallion Funding, The Grind King and Sakata Farms .

Big Idea #4: Read everything you can get your hands on about business. As Marc travels, he reads constantly. Marc believes information is power because it helps him predict trends that affect his customers and ultimately his own business.

What do you think?    Why is reading today more important than ever?

Answer: Because of the speed of change. The world will pass you by if you don't read. Listening the the radio or watching television takes too much time unless you are multi-tasking. Reading is the fastest way to get information. All good and great companies are lead by readers/learners. This is true because a good company is made up of people who are learning all the time and everything starts at the top. My favorite business owner on this topic is Bill Hagstrom who is also referenced in question number two. To learn and be inspired by a person who grew from 12 employees to 250 in about two years, go study Bill.

Big Idea #5: Create a backup plan for each step in the process. When overnight delivery fails, what next? As a top gun pilot, Marc learned to be prepared, and he has taught this skill to his managers. There's always more than one way to accomplish a task. So, Marc has backup systems and people to step in when something goes wrong.

What do you think?  Marc's big job is to make sure thousands of people receive their paychecks on time. Does every business have some type of make-or-break deadline?

Possible answers:  I think so. Any promise made to a customer or supplier to me is make-or-break. And, deadlines don't have to be torture, they can be fun. "The Game of Work" is about turning work into a game by keeping score and having a beginning and an ending to a task. Keep everyone on your team excited about their accomplishments by installing goals and recognizing people for achievement. At Texas Nameplate there's a company meeting every other week where people are recognized and at Computer Directions everyone celebrates when a sale is made.

Another Idea: Radio advertising is cost-effective. Jeff Slutsky makes us laugh, but, radio advertising can be very cost effective when you find your target audience and develop a creative campaign.

What do you think?   Do you have to pay big bucks to an advertising agency to have excellent advertising?

SIZE="-1" FACE="Arial">Possible Answer:  No. My brother has seen the sales at his futon stores in Hawaii jump way up when he took to the radio himself. He writes his own copy and goes down to the radio station to tape it, so the only cost is for air time.