Being a "yes man" was the worst advice I ever received.
At Rocket, we lived by an ISM: "Yes before No."
Made perfect sense for a company with 15,000+ people, deep pockets, and armies of talent.
Too many great ideas were dying from reflexive nos. Too much innovation squashed by "that's not how we do things."
So we flipped the default. Say yes first. Figure it out later. It worked. They became a multi-billion dollar powerhouse.
Then I joined a 40-person company.
Same principle, right?
Wrong. Dead wrong.
Here's what "Yes before No" looks like in a small company:
"Let's try this new software!" → Yes → $50K and 3 months of implementation chaos
"We should expand into this market!" → Yes → Resources spread so thin we fail everywhere
"Can we add this feature?" → Yes → Core product becomes Frankenstein's monster
"Let's bring on this partner!" → Yes → Complexity that cripples our speed
Every yes isn't just a decision. It's a burden.
On your limited capital. On your stretched team. On your founder's sanity. On your ability to focus.
At Rocket, 100 experiments meant 10 breakthroughs. The 90 failures? Rounding errors.
In a small company, 10 experiments might mean bankruptcy.
Here's the math nobody talks about:
Big company: 1,000 people saying yes = distributed risk
Small company: 40 people saying yes = concentrated chaos
Big company: Failed initiative = learning experience
Small company: Failed initiative = potential death blow
Big company: Pivot in 6 months
Small company: Pivot in 6 days or die
The real killer? Mind-share.
In a small company, every yes steals focus.
That "quick" integration. That "small" side project. That "easy" partnership. They all live rent-free in your brain. In your team's brain.
Death by a thousand yeses.
My new framework for small companies: Default to NO.
Then ask three questions:
Will this directly serve our core mission?
Can we execute this without sacrificing something vital?
Will saying no today kill us tomorrow?
Only if you get three yeses do you consider saying yes.
Here's what this looks like in practice:
"Should we integrate with that platform?" → No (unless it's make-or-break for customers)
"Should we sponsor that event?" → No (unless our exact buyers will be there)
"Should we build that feature?" → No (unless current customers are leaving without it)
"Should we hire for that role?" → No (unless someone's about to burn out)
Harsh? Yes. Necessary? Absolutely.
The paradox: Saying no to good ideas is what gives you the resources to execute great ones.
In a small company, focus isn't a nice-to-have.
It's oxygen.
And every yes uses up a little more air.
Your turn: What should you have said no to this week?
Supporting your NO,
Jeff
P.S. That opportunity you're considering right now? The one that seems "easy"? Calculate the true cost: time, money, energy, focus.
Still seem easy?