We Americans tend to obsess over size. We revel in Big Data. Big Brother is watching. Theodore Roosevelt advised, “Speak softly and carry a Big Stick.” If you get that corner office, you might be the Big Cheese and have hit the Big Time. Ed Sullivan always had “A really Big Show.” The quintessential American city, New York, is the Big Apple. Of course, Everything’s Bigger in Texas. And (alas) some people love to take swipes at Big Food.
But it’s at the other end of the spectrum—everything small—where we find the heart of American ingenuity. The U.S. is home to nearly 29 million small businesses, accounting for nearly 50 percent of our workforce. America loves the successful entrepreneur who starts small, risking everything on a dream. And it’s often those small, upstart companies that challenge the status quo with true innovation. Even many of the largest snack and bakery businesses today can trace their roots back to a day when inspiration struck and a career path revealed itself.