TI CEO Podcast · episode 11
Why I like to think big
1-minute summary
In this episode of his CEO diary, Christoph Standl talks about why he likes to think big. May an entrepreneur with a small company have big goals? His answer: a clear yes – especially since his trips to the USA in 2019. Not because every big idea automatically works, but because alongside a precise knowledge of reality – numbers, problems, weaknesses – you also need an idea of where the journey should lead in the long term. In twelve years of Tourismus Interaktiv there were setbacks, delays and Corona, but his conviction remained: build something that lasts, don't just think about the next quarter. Concretely, thinking big means for him: a lot already works on a small scale – for one region, one municipality, one hotel – and many challenges repeat: the right information for the right guest, keeping content up to date, simplifying processes without ever more staff. The question is: if something works once, how does it work a hundred or a thousand times? Standardised projects, software as a service, device as a service, self-service, automation and AI make that possible – scalability is the big opportunity precisely for small companies. Thinking big doesn't mean claiming big things, but proving them on a small scale and then considering how to make them big. A big vision changes today's questions: which people, technologies and partners do we need? The next step is usually small. You need big ambitions and humility before reality. His questions: which goal would you set if you couldn't fail – and what is the smallest step today? Big changes often begin with small daily steps.
Description
May a small company actually have big goals? My answer is a clear yes. In this episode of my CEO diary I talk about why I like to think big – and why big ambitions for me must nevertheless always be tied to reality, experience and many small steps. After twelve years with Tourismus Interaktiv we have learned something decisive: many solutions already work on a small scale – for tourism regions, municipalities, attractions, hotels, restaurants or apartment providers. Many challenges repeat themselves. And exactly from that arises, for me, an exciting entrepreneurial question: If something works once – how do we make it work a hundred or maybe one day a thousand times? The digital world opens up completely new possibilities for that: through standardised products, software-as-a-service, self-service, automation and increasingly artificial intelligence. It's not about talking big. It's about proving on a small scale that something works – and then considering how something big can grow out of it. Topics of this episode: Why I like to think big Big goals for small companies From the working solution to scaling Software-as-a-service and self-service Automation and AI Big visions and small daily steps Humility before reality My central insight: Think big. Start small. And stay with it long enough. Because a big vision changes the questions we ask ourselves today. Big changes often begin with small daily steps.