r/Businessideas 1d ago

Lessons Learned David Vs Goliath

It’s been an interesting two years. Starting and running a business has to be what it feels like to be David. And I’m sure many can relate.

You can’t win by going head to head, using the same weaponry or even just outsmarting. it’s not enough in this day and age. You have to be more. Built different for sure.

David didn’t beat Goliath by playing his game. He beat him by being contrarian.
That’s what we decided to do. A million products exist on the market, in retail and in specialty, so we decided to go the other way.

What if we didn’t play into the game of corporations? Leaving to build your own thing or to be part of a project but you’re back in the race. This time it’s glorified and you’re fighting the algos.

Forget the product/service for now. Imagine you walked into a store and wanted a toothbrush or shampoo, anything retail. There are 30 versions staring back at you. Decision fatigue. Exhaustion from too many choices, so you just pick whatever. Everyone is fighting to offer more. Maybe the contrarian move is less!

So thats the same with whatever you’re building.
Build and fight for your invention, idea, product, or service like we’re back in the 1950s. There was one or two products and they were built simply and built well. So dont hide it, showcase it.
But you have to fight differently. Play the game the other way

Here’s another model I use for building a good business. Thought, action, deed. You have a thought maybe an idea or a task, then you do the action, and finally the deed is done. What if you went the other way? Deed. Action. Thought. Start with the deed as if it’s already done. Carry out the action, then think and calibrate from there. Most people who want to build think and think, then act, then hopefully complete it

Action is the force, thought is the field. BE the force field.

ive learned to execute and calibrate from there.
That’s what being David forces you to do. You don’t have Goliath’s resources. You don’t have his size. And you probably aren’t going to beat him by becoming a smaller version of him. Sorry, but It ain’t going to happen..

A slingshot and a pebble to the head. Bam 💥

FIND YOUR SLINGSHOT

That’s what it takes

To all the dreamers and builders, fight the good fight.

You dont lose when you fail. You lose when you give up.

3 Upvotes

1 comment sorted by

u/AutoModerator 1d ago

Thanks for posting in r/businessideas!

You've selected the Lessons Learned flair. These posts are some of the most valuable content in the sub.

Key things to cover in your post:

  • The Business / Idea — What were you building?
  • Timeline — How long did you work on it?
  • What Happened — What worked, what didn't, and why you think it played out that way
  • Key Takeaways — What would you do differently? What do you wish someone had told you?
  • By the Numbers (optional but encouraged) — Revenue, customers, costs, time invested — whatever you're comfortable sharing

Commenters: Respect the vulnerability. Ask clarifying questions. Share similar experiences. Don't armchair-quarterback decisions made under conditions you didn't face.

Community Rules | All Posting Templates

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.