How to Stay Lean and Sell Big?

There are essentially three models of running a business:

a. High Volume, Low Impact

b. Low Volume, High Impact

The third model - High Volume, High Impact is essentially a second stage available only to businesses who start off as Low Volume, High Impact and choose to step-up to the next stage.

High Volume, Low Impact takes you on the path on which High Volume, High Impact is not part of the journey.

Therefore, if you are looking to build your business to the Platinum Standard of High Value, High Impact; start your business with the intention to make a big impact to your customer communities through your business. Let’s understand that in a bit more detail; and how all this is linked to staying lean and selling big.


It seems easier to build a business with low hanging fruit of low impact, high volume. It doesn’t require you to be a master of your craft. It doesn’t need you to learn and grow yourself to be a person of influence in your industry. It doesn’t require you to have the leadership depth to challenge your industry’s status quo or have the deep understanding of how to implement business excellence.

With very little entry barrier because of limited requirement of domain expertise or insightful customer understanding or in-depth knowledge of business building, High Volume Low Impact is in the red ocean with numerous other businesses competing with each other primarily on cost. The focus is how to make as much money as possible as soon as possible.

The challenge with this strategy is not only that there’s constant struggle to stay afloat in the red ocean with negligible customer loyalty who are likely to switch based on marginal price differences, there is also no experience of contribution, mastery and purpose that we all crave for.

Leaving aside the higher perspective, a High Volume Low Impact is also a low margin business with profitability constantly under pressure. It is a business at best mediocre, at worst on the verge of death.

Yet, 80% of businesses operate here; fighting it out for 20% pie of the market in terms of revenue, working hard, struggling to make ends meet, with people engaged in the running of the business invariably under a lot of stress. There is no experience of fun, fulfilment, freedom.

In sharp contrast, building a High Volume, High Impact business ground-up from Low Volume, High Impact stage is a lot more fun and fulfilling with greater autonomy as you re-define the market landscape with the courage sourced in greater leadership depth, commitment to serve and make a difference to your customer communities and the joy of mastering your craft. This journey of Business Mastery is in reality a journey of mastering your own self.

Then, why do a majority not follow this path. Here’s why:

1. It requires one to be constantly pushing oneself and one’s business out of the comfort zone; battling against inner demons of fear and resistances.

2. It requires a lot of purposeful, persistent, deliberate learning and practise to build oneself as a master of the domain / craft that one has chosen to build one’s business in.

3. Most people start businesses to make money rather than use it as an opportunity to make a dent in the Universe and live their purpose and passion through their business.

4. This path gives outcomes in the long-term but those results are massive and sustainable. You need to have tremendous patience to build legendary businesses. Therefore, this is not the path that those looking for a quick buck choose.

5. It requires one to be purpose-driven with deep belief in one’s impossible, unimaginable dreams. Most people never grow themselves to reach this level of depth.

With the above background, here’s how to stay lean and sell big:

1. Chase impact, purpose and passion; instead of money or external success.

2. Spend time in learning to be the best in the world in your field. Like Newton, stand on the shoulders of giants in your industry to see further than anyone else has seen before. Stand on their shoulders by learning from them either directly or indirectly by reading whatever they have learnt from the books published by them or on them.

3. Choose to work at the top-end of the customer pyramid - premium customers who are seeking high value.

4. To work at the top-end of the pyramid requires high-end expertise. So, invest in a few high-end experts rather than many low-end resources.

5. Focus on few customers at the top of the pyramid and build deep trusting relationships with them by giving them what they need to be successful in what they are upto in the world, instead of selling what you have.

6. If you assess your current customer profile, you will realize 20% of your customers contribute to 80% of your profitability but you are spending 80% of your energy on those 80% who are only contributing to 20% of your profitability.

If you shift 80% of this inefficient use of your energy to serve your top 20% clients, you will not only build deeper relationship with them but also a more profitable equation for both you and your clients.

This shift in focus to your top 20% releases a lot of your resources (customer creation, operational and delivery) which are no longer required allowing you to become leaner in resource investment and yet bigger in profitability.

Wishing you the joy of purpose, impact and mastery.

Love, Jyoti.