Why Acting Big Is Hurting Your Small Business (And What to Do Instead)

Shawna Suckow is not monkeying around!

For years, small business owners have been told they need to “act bigger” to compete. Dress it up. Look like a Fortune 500 brand. Sound more polished. Hide your size so customers will take you seriously.

Unfortunately, that’s outdated advice from a playbook built on pretending, not connecting. And today’s customers? They’ve seen behind the curtain. They’re done with the corporate gloss. They’re not looking for perfection — they’re looking for real.

Here’s the truth:You don’t need to act big to be taken seriously. In fact, acting big might be the very thing that’s getting in your way.

Big Brands Can’t Personalize — You Can

Big corporations can’t actually know their customers. They rely on algorithms, automation, and scripted customer service to fake personalization. Meanwhile, you — the small business owner — actually know your customers. You remember names, stories, birthdays. You don’t need to “personalize” through a CRM when you can walk out front and ask how someone’s mom is doing.

That’s not small. That’s power.

Today’s buyers are starved for that kind of humanity. They’ve been burned by automated support systems, fake apologies, and performative mission statements. They’re done handing their money to faceless corporations who only see them as data points.

Your Size Is Your Superpower Today!

When you stop posturing and start showing up as you, something magic happens:

• You become memorable in a sea of sameness.

• You build trust faster than any algorithm can manufacture.

• You attract the kind of customers who stick around and refer their friends.

Let the big brands be big and boring. You get to be nimble, personal, and real. You get to test ideas fast. You get to pivot. You get to listen and respond without a 12-week approval chain.

And when things go wrong? You don’t send a generic apology from “The Team.” You pick up the phone and make it right. That’s the stuff loyalty is built on.

So, Ditch the Corporate Cosplay

Stop trying to look like a company 10x your size. People can spot the act a mile away — and it breaks trust instead of building it today. No one’s impressed by stock photos, robotic language, or slogans that don’t say anything real.

Instead:

• Show your face(s)! Make yourself and your staff the stars of all your ads, photos, and videos - unposed, unrehearsed, and 100% real.

• Speak like a human, not a press release.

• Share behind-the-scenes moments. Your dog barking in the background is more relatable than polished perfection after 127 takes.

• Be transparent about what you do — your struggles, wins, hopes, hobbies, family, pets…the works.

The Takeaway

You’re not “just” a small business. You are a real business in a world full of fakes. Your size isn’t something to overcome — it’s your edge.

So quit acting big. Start acting bold. The kind of bold that only comes from being yourself.

Because trust isn’t built by looking the part. It’s built by being the real deal.