The Sling And The Five Smooth Stones
- Writer for DDI on Medium
- Sep 10
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 12
When you begin working for yourself, it’s easy to lose yourself in the image of larger, more established businesses, chasing nice optics, expensive technology, and team building, to look and feel like a "real" business.
The fight might look different for everyone, but for a split second, I almost lost my soul trying to measure up, wrestling with working from home, and the inability to play the purchasing images for my blog's game. Until I remembered that, despite looking the part, my industry doesn’t know how to build a brand from scratch, and that I was born with a gift to draw.
Read: Creativity vs Skill
Fast forward 8 years, and 2 successful brands built from scratch within the first 3 years of working for myself. I fully embrace the perception people have of my little visual design agency.
Many local 1-3 man shows don’t fit the outward appearance of someone who knows what they’re doing.
Like David, to onlookers, you’re just a little boy.
No experience or reputation outside your day job. How many of you have an occupation that’s different from what your 1-3 man show does?
Before defeating Goliath, David spent his days as a shepherd, not a soldier. But he had a gift he mastered, and 5 smooth stones that together was the strategy against Goliath.
“AM I A DOG THAT YOU SHOULD COME AT ME WITH STAVES?!”
Consider Goliath's use of the word staves.
By reducing David’s weapon to nothing, he also implies his fate is sealed.
As Christians, we understand the game of being mocked for who we are. The pattern is the same in the case of big companies that can’t do the things we ‘lil guys’ do.
They use what empowers us to shame and intimidate us unto their territory.
Don’t take the bait. We're not the same. You only need to read or listen to see that…
How they operate their business isn’t the best use of our time and money
They believe ideal clients are mythical creatures, and we don't
Expertise isn’t about throwing a prompt into ChatGPT, but the application of what we know through what we've been paid to do
Our value isn’t pitched upon “AI is the best employee,” but our IP
We’re not spraying-and-praying to stay top of mind; we've got a voice!
And that’s the unexpected value of what’s in our sling!
Goliath was a Philistine; he wasn’t from Israel. David knew Goliath’s error was in underestimating that.
But do you know that about your unique circumstances?
Do you feel conviction when the Goliaths of the business world speak your language with the audacity to use it against you?
It’s not enough to feel like David, you’ve got to think and act like him, too.
Goliaths have a way of building their relevance on the backs of Davids. They use our contribution for vanity accolades, merge all the positions they wish to fill but can't afford to, under bogus job titles, and reward our desperation with poor wages or the chains of unemployment. Then they try to steal our courage, and hope to make a way for ourselves (by God's grace) by parroting our words because the future ARE THE DAVIDS, not technology!
But Davids are secret strategists. They wait for Goliaths to trap themselves with their own cockiness before delivering the fatal blow with the very thing they mocked.
You have to appreciate the irony.
DON’T DESPISE THE DAY OF LITTLE THINGS...
There's NOTHING to look upon what is considered a "real" business to aspire to be.
David's story teaches us that true strength doesn't come from what we have but who anoints us to use it. It might be easier for Goliaths to boast about something like cash flow, for example. But turning their weakness into a strength isn't something they're typically known for.
But that's exactly where Davids shine!
For example, as Trinbagonians, we all know what the 31st of August means: it's about freedom from colonial rule that was forged from the love of liberty, in the fires of hope and prayer with boundless faith in our destiny. But in the age of AI, when you can no longer think for yourself, information is withheld from the public, and we're gaslit about reality. What freedom are we truly celebrating?
So rather than join the chorus of small service business owners hoisting the colors this year, I questioned our independence.
No cash flow, no technology, just raw God given creativity, fueled by a brand. That's what turns a so-called weakness into the very reason people respect and choose you: conviction on display.
So don't worry about what Goliath says about what's in your hand, you've got this!
I am the Founder and Visual Brand Strategist at The BrandTUB **Schedule a call with me if you need help with your visual branding. Let's see if you're a good fit! **Figure out what you're trying to say with The One-Page Workbook™ **Sign up to receive these weekly articles in your inbox if you’re not quite ready to work with me yet.
