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Stop Playing Small: The Hidden Risk of Staying in Your Comfort Zone

You know what’s worse than making mistakes in business? Never making moves big enough to matter.

Every day, I see entrepreneurs obsessing over tiny optimizations—chasing a 3% increase in conversion rates—while their competition is making bold plays, signing major deals, and taking over markets.

I know this because I used to be one of them.

When Playing Small Nearly Killed My Growth

Early in my journey, I spent weeks fine-tuning my Amazon listing bullet points. I thought, If I just tweak these words perfectly, I'll see my sales skyrocket.

Meanwhile, my competitors were securing sponsorships with pro athletes and expanding into new countries. They weren’t worried about 5% improvements; they were chasing 50% gains.

Here’s the truth: If you want 30%+ year-over-year growth, you can’t be making 3% moves.

And before the haters comment on this - yes I understand that having an optimised listing matters.

The Growth Math Nobody Talks About

Let’s break it down.

Imagine you’re doing $20 million in revenue. If you grow 10%, that’s an extra $2 million in sales. Manageable.

But what if you’re at $100 million and need to grow 20%? That’s $20 million in new sales— an entirely different challenge.

The businesses that make it to the next level aren’t optimizing in the margins. They’re making big moves that change the trajectory of their company.

The Paradox of Playing It Safe

paradox of playing it safe

See the difference? When I sold my first business, the buyers didn’t care about my Amazon bullet points. They cared about market penetration, brand strength, and how scalable my business was.

If you’re stuck making “safe” moves, you’re limiting your own growth.

The Three Growth Levers That Actually Matter

Forget the endless tweaks. If you want real growth, focus on just three things:

1️⃣ More products – Give existing customers new reasons to buy from you.
2️⃣ More channels – Find fresh ways to reach new customers.
3️⃣ More markets – Multiply what works by expanding into new regions.

three growth levers for ecommerce

When I built Beast Gear, I started with a single product—a jump rope. But instead of tweaking that one product endlessly, I expanded into a complete ecosystem of fitness equipment.

That’s how you go from incremental growth to exponential growth.

Your One-Page Reality Check

Want to know if your next move is big enough? Use this simple test:

✔ Write it down in one page (if it needs more, it’s too complicated).
✔ Calculate the potential upside (if it’s not at least 30% growth, why bother?).
✔ Set a hard deadline (no “next quarter” vagueness).

DOWNLOAD The One-Page Reality Check Sheet

And before making any major decision, ask yourself:

🔹 Gross Profit Margin: At least 40% (min!!)
🔹 Contribution Margin: At least 20%
🔹 Net ROI: Over 100% (70% at a push)

If your move doesn’t hit these numbers, think bigger.

Why This Matters NOW

Ecommerce is changing. Brands with bold market positions are getting acquired for 3-5x multiples, while safe, incremental players are lucky to get 2.5x.

And here’s what I tell every entrepreneur I mentor:

You’re going to spend the same amount of time and energy either way. The only question is: Do you want to spend it on moves that could 10x your business—or ones that might add 10%?

The Bottom Line

I get it — big moves feel risky.

But in business, playing it safe is often the riskiest move of all.

So, take your biggest growth initiative for next year… and multiply it by 10.

Does that feel uncomfortable? Good. That discomfort is the gap between incremental and exponential thinking.

Want to learn how to make those big moves without betting the farm? 

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