An Open Letter To Small Businesses (And Those Who Love Them)

I want to start by saying thank you.

There may not be a more difficult time in modern history to operate a small business. Choosing to strike out on your own has always taken courage, but that bravery is only amplified by the uncertain economic times of our day. You are David, going into battle against the Goliaths of your industry. While that sounds daunting on paper, I want to convince you to trust your “slingshot”. Malcolm Gladwell said it best: “Giants are not what we think they are. The same qualities that appear to give them strength are often the sources of great weakness.”

In his book “David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants”, Gladwell claims that we as Americans have a fundamental misunderstanding of the purpose of this Biblical story. We hear it all the time in sports. “It’s a David and Goliath battle!” when a tiny boxer tries his hand against a much larger and stronger opponent. We see it as a fluke. A puncher’s chance against all odds. Gladwell explains that David’s experience as a shepherd taking down countless bears, wolves, and thieves made him the perfect fit for the fight. This is exactly how I look at small businesses.

I am writing this from Brass Key Coffee in Alexandria. An awesome spot run by a family friend, Tami Trunick. In my time here, I was greeted by a welcoming barista who took great pride in her work, reconnected with an old friend I hadn’t seen in years, and witnessed a birthday party. In many ways, this experience is everything a trip to Starbucks isn’t. The problem is, Starbucks spent roughly 600 million dollars on marketing in 2024. I’ve seen their ads. They’re good, but they could never replicate the secret sauce that makes The Brass Key special.

When I started Frankly earlier this year, I did so to help businesses like The Brass Key harness their “slingshot” so they can win every loyal customer they deserve. In my opinion, it’s just plain wrong for someone to default to Dunkin for their morning coffee when they have a better option that they’ve never heard of. This happens every day, and I want to do my part to put an end to it. I’ve spent the better part of the last decade building a framework that helps businesses extract their “secret sauce” and communicate it to everyone who would care. If you or someone you care about is a small business owner, I’d love to meet you and see where I could help.

To any business owner reading this, I want you to know that your courage and grit have not gone unnoticed. You are the glue that keeps a community together, and we need you. I’ll leave you with one last Gladwell quote: “Courage is not something that you already have that makes you brave when the tough times start. Courage is what you earn when you’ve been through the tough times and you discover they aren’t so tough after all.”