Why I hate “scale”

I had my first unpleasant experience as a podcast guest recently. I’ve done over 75 so far this year, and it took that long to get one that I really didn’t gel with…which I guess is actually a really good success rate. I have changed the names and altered the text of the conversation so that it’s not apparent if it goes live which one I’m talking about, but I doubt it will go live as it was so awkward.

The host started by saying “some people don’t like me but I say what I say and don’t apologize”, which has never led to a good experience for me, ever.

Then, after starting the interview he said “I don’t understand creatives. What even makes them tick if it’s not money?”

Which, I don’t even know how to start with having a purpose above money with somebody. I tried to explain to him compulsion, and desire, and inability to do something else, but it fell on deaf ears.

He just kept saying “I don’t get it”, which, to be fair, is a completely understandable position. Creativity is a weird mistress. Most people are motivated by money and money alone, I suppose, but it is not that way with creatives. Money is important insomuch as it allows us safety to spread our message and live comfortably, but not as an end in and of itself.

But it really went downhill when he started talking about scale, and especially after I had no choice but to talk about how much I hated the idea of scale, and how I thought it was one of the most pernicious, ugly words in the business community.

I used to have a different opinion on scale, honestly. There are several posts on this site that talk about scale, but I don’t think I talked about scale in the way that he was talking about scale. I was talking about getting to a tipping point where your company was giving you the thing you need, which I considered “scale”. However, I don’t think that’s what most people talk about with scale.

I also think scaling an audience, and scaling your production or distribution are different, as you can add more people into your ecosystem without scaling up your operation, at least until you hit a certain level.

What, then, is the ugly part of scale?

That type of scale is what happens when a company gets big. When you take a successful company and try to take it to a new, ridiculously high level, like doubling revenue or 10x-ing revenue. It’s different than growth, which you should always shoot for, insomuch as it fundamentally changes your company in many ways. Scale is neverending, and it’s growth for the sake of growth, even past the point where you can happily sustain yourself.

When you are scaling, you are also optimizing every little thing, and spending all your times finding new sales channels. It becomes an obsession, which takes you away from the work you love doing, unless the thing you love is business and scale.

Most ads, and business “gurus”, consider scale the lifeblood of the universe, and if you’re not building for scale then you must be an idiot.

Of course, that’s mostly because scale is what pays them. Small companies generally don’t hire consultants because it’s a waste of money to do so, whereas, with scale, you can afford people to tell you what to do.

Because they make money with “scale” they try to convince people that the only way to be happy is with scale.

I, however, think that while it’s important to always be filling your funnel, doing promotions, and trying to build an audience, I disagree that ever company needs “scale”. I have no interest in doing things at “scale”, and hate the idea that small businesses are inherently worse than ones that make more money. Growth yes, scale no.

I make low six figures a year, and for me, I am happy with that. I don’t know if I could be happy, at least in the ways that people describe happiness, but I am certainly contented. I would like to eventually grow big enough to do certain things, but I just about do anything I want already.

He said I was thinking too small, hurting people if I didn’t make them believe that scale was the only thing that mattered in a company, and that “if I didn’t think I would be happier with 10x growth, then I am lying”.

I took exception to the “hurting people” and I almost cut the interview off right there, because while some companies may want scale, and others may NEED scale to be profitable, the average company makes $40,000 of revenue a year.

The sad thing is that 99% of businesses just won’t scale, because they can’t. You have to have a certain kind of business, and make a certain kind of thing to really scale, which means that that kind of talk is making most businesses feel like losers, when they are probably doing just fine.

It’s hard to scale without a really high priced offer that gives you a huge profit margin you can turn around and burn to get more people into your ecosystem, and most people don’t have access to something like that, especially if they are authors.

I told him that even the biggest indie authors barely make a million a year, which sounds like a lot, but he “made more than $10 million last year.” He was really proud of that, which, good for him, but he used it to try and bully me around, and make me feel small.

I am not small, and I will not be bullied.

In order to make that kind of money, authors are generally writing a very specific book in a very specific couple of genres, and releasing all the time, which I’m just not willing to do. I can barely write on the schedule I keep for myself already.

If they aren’t releasing their own books all the time, then they become big publishers and take on new work, which I also didn’t care to do. It’s fine if you want to do that, but I do not want to do that, even a little bit.

I told him that I ran the exact kind of company I wanted, was able to make anything I wanted, and relied on a fanbase that wanted to buy it. I always am looking to grow that audience, but I’m not willing to go for scale just to go for scale, and don’t think other people should either.

My goal when I started was to not work too hard and do the exact thing I wanted to do when I wanted to do it.

And that’s about where I am now, minus COVID.

It’s not a perfect company, and I certainly need to figure out how to sell things not at conventions, but I’m as happy as I thought I would ever be.

He did not believe me and insulted me multiple times, until I finally said “the great thing about this business is that some people will really want to do the thing I do, and some will really want to do the thing you do, and there is room for both.”

And that’s true. If you want to scale, then you should be able to pedal down and do it, but if you don’t want to do that, and just want a nice lifestyle brand, well that’s okay too.

In order to get Wannabe Press to the next level, the million dollar level, it means doing things I don’t want to do, or it means focusing more on The Complete Creative and less on my writing, which I’m also not willing to do.

I believe a company needs to fulfill your needs, bring you joy, and bring enough money that you don’t have to scrounge for a dollar every month.

If it can do that, and you are happy, then that’s a good company.

However, if you look at Facebook all you’ll see are ways to scale, and make you feel small if you don’t want some huge company.

They will tell you that if you don’t make more money, you will have less of an impact, and equate money to goodness. They will make you feel like the more money somebody has, the better they are as a person.

That is a lie.

It is absolutely possible to have a nice little business, that does nice revenue, and be happy with that.

After a point, money does not make you happier. Things won’t make you happier.

If it services you, and you like it, then that’s what really matters, and don’t let anybody tell you differently.