Great Not Big

On running a small, innovative company
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Great Not Big

On running a small, innovative company
  • Blog
  • Speaking
  • About
Finances,

How to Protect Your Firm’s Accounts Receivable

by Jonah BaileyJanuary 9, 2023
People,

In praise of the worry gene

by Carl EricksonApril 7, 2014

I’ve lately come to appreciate what people at Atomic Object call the “worry gene”, especially in the people I work with. Pushing the genetic metaphor

Culture,

Is a company like family?

by Carl EricksonMarch 9, 2014

Can a company really be anything like a family? Is drawing the comparison naive, or a selfish attempt at employee manipulation by a cynical CEO?

About

Great Not Big is the brainchild of Carl Erickson, Founder of Atomic Object. It’s where we chronicle our management successes and failures, and share our ideas for creating a successful small company where people love to work.

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Finances, Innovation Services, Ownership,

What’s your company worth?

by Carl EricksonNovember 21, 2013

Editor’s Note: Since this post’s publication, Atomic has continuously refined its approach to determining a valuation. Here’s a more recent post on the topic from

Operations, People,

Guidelines, rules, and consequences – the things I’ve learned

by Carl EricksonSeptember 17, 2013

We have very few rules at Atomic Object. Our employee handbook is intentionally labeled “Atomic Guidelines”, and is full of examples, expectations, and explanations but

Structure,

Company governance: sham or effective?

by Carl EricksonAugust 6, 2013

Nearly three years ago, Atomic started experimenting with a new form of governance. Today, our Board approves nearly everything brought in front of it. Does

Culture, People,

Transparency requires positive engagement

by Carl EricksonJune 7, 2013

Transparency in a company does a lot of great things. Perhaps first among them is it builds trust. Transparency also creates the potential for broader

Culture, People,

Pair lunch: an inexpensive, effective benefit to strengthen company bonds

by Carl EricksonApril 18, 2013

There are easier places to work than Atomic Object. We don’t specialize in one industry or technology domain, so we’re constantly learning. We push

People,

Measuring the happiness of your company

by Carl EricksonMarch 24, 2013

People are the only valuable asset of an innovation services company. While reputation, client list, culture, standards and tribal knowledge are also valuable, those all

People,

Shutting down secondhand feedback

by Carl EricksonMarch 7, 2013

I have been aware for some time that my position and the demands of my job at Atomic Object isolate me, to some extent, from

Sales & Marketing,

Compensating sales people in software service firms

by Carl EricksonFebruary 13, 2013

Salespeople are most often compensated either fully or partially with commission. The conventional wisdom is that sales people need incentives to sell and should be

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