Little Engine Ventures applies innovation to small business.
Operating a small business is hard. The incumbent giants have no interest in giving away marketshare. However, creative destruction is a powerful force. And, when you have an edge, it’s good to exploit it.
“Think Big, Act Small” is about dreaming big dreams, but putting the most impactful next step into action. At Little Engine Ventures, we, (like everyone else,) have limited resources. We believe that how you use them matters most. What is the most efficient way to accomplish the objective? Smallest action to biggest outcome? Can we use the momentum to slingshot this company into a new paradigm? This is how we approach innovation.
Today we are a mix of young but experienced business owners with capital from like-minded partners. We also have a long list of top shelf, grey-haired professional service providers. These men and women gather together in partnership to help small businesses grow and transform lives.
We live in a fast changing environment. In the last 100 years our world has experienced more technological shifts than the previous 1,000 years. As a result, the general quality of life is improving. We have food shipped in from other parts of globe. We have digital libraries in our pockets. More people travel faster and further and in more comfort than ever before. Over the next 100 years, we are likely to see an even faster rate of change. Although our investment strategy is not about disruptive tech, we are early adopters and formulators of new combinations. We don’t fear software but we don’t install it just because it’s cool. Instead, we aim to apply our creativity to blending technology, operating processes, and business models to better serve customers. Sometimes this means applying Software-as-a-Service business practices to seed corn. Sometimes it means applying soil sampling practices to auto glass. In many ways, our diverse portfolio provides insights a single company owner may not see.
We also believe every team member is capable of amazing accomplishments. By empowering the next generation of leadership we help companies apply their rolling momentum to achieve the vision established by the founder. Most business owners know the areas they would like to reinvest but simply desire more liquidity. We can take the long view and apply capital to these efforts while maintaining liquidity for a new ownership paradigm.
LEV is just getting started. We launched in August 2016. However, we are gathering an arsenal of potent business owners, aimed at helping companies prosper. Many of us have been at this for years prior. What are the true problems our customers expect us to be solving? How can we solve these problems better than anyone else? Who else do we need on our team?
Are you interested in working with us? It’s a blast day dreaming with prospective CEOs. Sometimes this leads to search agreements. We also like networking with fellow business owners. We try to learn more each day. Drop us an email and we’ll setup a phone call to talk shop.