Every time our launch anniversary rolls around (11 years to this day), I find myself doing the reflecting thing ;-)
I’ve never really felt the need to explain why I don’t want our company to grow bigger—but now feels like a good moment to share, especially for those who’ve been wondering why we’ve stayed intentionally small.
From the outside, it’s a fair question. The usual thinking is: scale up, make more stuff, earn more money, repeat. And sure, we could shift gears—grow the company, hire more people, push more product. But here’s the thing: I’m not into collecting fast cars, owning ten condos, or building rocket ships to Mars.
My wife and I live in a small apartment near the studio—it’s the smallest place we’ve ever called home, but with less floor to hoover, I’m not complaining.
I get that calls for growth often come from a place of support—and I truly appreciate that. But I sometimes wonder: is that growth really for our benefit, or is it mostly about making our products easier to get hold of? Either way, I understand the sentiment.
The way we do things may not be traditional—we share profits with our team, invest in improving products and workflows, and put people before the pressure to constantly scale. That’s how we’ve managed to reduce time in the studio while increasing both compensation and quality of life.
Some folks find our approach suspiciously unambitious—and honestly, I get that too. In a world obsessed with bigger, faster, and more, choosing “enough” can look like giving up. But after years in the corporate grinder, I’ve learned that a business should serve the people who run it—not the other way around.
So yes—staying small is intentional. It gives us room to breathe, space to think, and the freedom to create without chasing numbers for the sake of it.
And while some might still see that as a missed opportunity, for those of you who’ve stuck with us—not just for what we make, but for how and why we make it—thank you. You remind us that there’s still room in the world for businesses that grow on their own terms—not just in size, but in spirit.
Here’s to making meaningful things with meaningful people—and to another 11 years of doing it our way.
#smartdoll
