Don’t focus on scale but influence, says Rafat Ali, CEO and Founder, Skift. Learn how to do exactly that, following the lead of small brands that are winning by building strong communities that become huge parts of people’s lives.

1. SMALL
AND
MIGHTY
WHY
SMALL IS
HAVING A
BIG MOMENT

2. WHO AM I TO
TELL THIS STORY?
‣ INDO-BRIT-AMERICAN, COMPUTER ENGINEER
TURNED PR PRO TURNED JOURNALIST TURNED
BLOGGER TURNED MEDIA ENTREPRENEUR.
‣ STARTED FIRST EVER BLOG MEDIA CO,
PAIDCONTENT, IN 2002. SOLD TO GUARDIAN IN
’08, LEFT 2010.
‣ TRAVELED 2 YEARS, 15 COUNTRIES, STARTED SKIFT.
NOW LARGEST BUSINESS INFORMATION
COMPANY IN TRAVEL, FIVE YEARS IN
‣ VERY FAMOUS IN A SMALL SUBSET OF WORLD
THAT REALLY CARES FOR WHAT I PRODUCE

3. -
THERE'S ALWAYS A STORY. IT'S ALL STORIES,
REALLY. THE SUN COMING UP EVERY DAY IS
A STORY. EVERYTHING'S
GOT A STORY IN IT. CHANGE THE STORY,
CHANGE THE WORLD.
“
― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky
”

4. THIS IS THE ERA
OF SMALL BRANDS
WITH BIG STORIES
TO TELL

5. SMALL AND MIGHTY EXAMPLES

6. #01 THINK SMALL
Young people are
navigating their
lives through a
lens of travel, food,
and retail

7. #02 THINK SMALL
You are looking
for shared
values, a sense
of community

8. #03 THINK SMALL
You are looking
for believable
stories

9. -
Independent, human-
focused businesses that
grasp the primacy of the
individual consumer

10. Provenance/craftsmanship/
narrative/local pride

11. REDEFINE SCALE
SMALL IS a BIG PART of the lives of those
who really care about SMALL DOES.

12. # Your users are part of your growth story
# Invested in your successes and failures

13. # SMALL EMBRACES BOUtique culture
for all its worth
# HUMAN POWERED MEANS A
HUMANE FACE TO THE WORLD
# CREATE DEEPER MEANINGFUL
CONNECTION WITH YOUR
EMPLOYEES

14. Best Company 08/01/201614
Small is better,
small is deep,
small is slow &
deliberate, small
is human, and
humane.

15. -
SMALL IS NOT JUST A
STEPPING STONE. SMALL IS
A GREAT DESTINATION IN
ITSELF.