"We need more resources!"

If everyone can say this, then it's a red herring.

Everyone does. This is a constant refrain. And it makes sense why people say it: companies continually set and then re-set stretch goals. Stretching is how you grow.

The great irony is that startup leaders and big company execs both declare this with equal certainty, and then envy the other. Startups envy the resources of bigger companies, and big companies envy the agility of startups.

If the perception of insufficient resources is a common factor at every size of company, and across competitors within an industry, then it isn't the real problem.

If your competitors also have the same problem—insufficient resources—then that is not the factor that makes the difference. It’s a common constraint.

At the root, right now I only see two possible solutions:

(1) Focus

(2) Change your ambition

You can choose to be equally ambitious within a constrained scope (focus), or lower the targets. Few people will openly choose the latter.

**Focus** is the realm of strategy. If you have limited resources, then you must get the most out of what you do have. This means saying no to lots of good ideas and doing only the best.

**Ambition** is tricky and can go all the way down to the level of company DNA. This is a founder / C-suite issue. But I want to acknowledge that there *is* another way. There are extraordinary companies and products out there that have chosen to aim for the intersection of "excellent" and "enough," rather than endless growth and constantly trying to 10X.

These companies don’t get much media attention as the concept of “enough” isn’t as sexy as 10X, but they do exist and are wonderful. Check out my discussion with Bo Burlingham about “Small Giants” for more.