Don’t Despise Small Beginnings: How to Self Fund Your Next Innovation

We worked with a founder at an innovation bootcamp who had a game-changing, industry-disrupting idea. It was bold, had potential, and could shift the entire market.

In short, the kind of B2B innovation people get venture funding for.

Naturally, we wanted to help...but as we worked on this with the founder, something became clear

Big Ideas Take Time

While the founder knew it would be hard to enter a new space with a bold idea, he quickly discovered two critical challenges he hadn’t considered:

• The timelines for this space are longer and the sales cycles are slower

• The effort needed to industrialize a product and meet enterprise-level expectations was significant

This wasn’t going to be a quick win....and here’s where it got complicated.

He Already Had a Business That Was Working

He already had a small but steady Direct to Consumer (DTC) business. It was the thing that paid the bills, supported his family, and gave him the space to dream about the next big thing.

He found that the more time he poured into the new B2B idea, the more frustrated he became because the results weren’t coming fast enough. He felt stuck between two worlds:

• One that worked but felt too small

• One that was ambitious but wasn’t producing

So, he did something really smart.

He Stepped Back — and Doubled Down on What Was Working

Instead of abandoning the new idea, he shifted his focus and went back to his DTC business with a fresh perspective and renewed energy.

And the results?

He’s now generating 5x the monthly revenue he started with. The business that once felt “small” now looks like a platform for growth — with room to scale and serve more people. His big idea? It’s still there and it’s not abandoned. It’s just not the only thing on the table any longer.

Don’t Ditch What Got You Here

There’s a powerful piece of wisdom here for entrepreneurs:

“Don’t despise small beginnings.” (Zechariah 4:10)

We all get enamored with what’s next like new markets, products, and business models. However, chasing the next big thing shouldn’t come at the cost of what’s already working.

In reality, most entrepreneurs have to live in the “both/and” zone:

• Grow what’s in front of you

• Nurture what’s ahead of you

It’s not always exciting. But it’s the path to sustainable success.

Your Turn

Are you so focused on your next idea that you're overlooking the one that’s already putting money in the bank? Don’t throw away your foundation to build your future.

Instead, focus on the business model that works, use it to fuel innovation and then you can grow in both directions.

Break it into percentages if you can - work 80% on today and 20% on the future. Being able to work on today and tomorrow is how many successful businesses scale.