If you’ve ever worked for a small business, you’ll understand the challenges they face. Scalability, staff turnover, overheads… there are a myriad of pitfalls out there. And that’s even before considering the biggest barrier in the way of success: big business competitors.

Small firms fight tooth and nail to protect their market share from corporate giants in their sector. In the current economic climate, it’s no surprise that many of them fall by the wayside – and end up either going bust or being acquired by other firms.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom – there are plenty of examples of David prevailing over Goliath. Here we look at three industries where small brands have taken on bigger rivals and ended up on the winning side.

Online gambling

Online gambling is an economic success story across the world – but especially in the UK, where it provides the government around £5 billion of revenue, making it the largest single gambling sector.

The popularity of online gambling has led to an abundance of casino operators offering services on the web. This has caused a direct battle between some of the biggest companies in the industry – but some of the little guys are still holding their ground.

For small online operators, the greatest challenge is trying to match the advertising power of big brands. Recently a well-known sports betting firm spent a tonne of money on an advert featuring Ryan Giggs’ scorned brother Rhodri.

The advert has been a huge success with a number of sports shows and newspapers covering it – increasing its reach even further. If you are a relative small fry in the industry, how on earth can you hope to compete against something like that?

If you can’t stump up the same sort of cash for paid marketing – earned marketing might stand you in better stead.

The web has been the great equaliser of the marketing world. Brands of all sizes theoretically have and equal chance of getting their messaging out to billions of users worldwide – providing they create content that reaches the right audience at the right time. That’s why many small gambling operators are trying to connect with consumers through quality content marketing, promoted through social media.

Producing informative blogs can build authority in your industry as well as attract customers. In the gambling world, one type of content that could engage readers and turn them into paying customers is strategy guides for popular games.

Take blackjack, for example. It’s one of the most exciting games out there – a casino staple which has been entertaining and compelling players for many decades. While some might think blackjack’s a game of pure chance, there are several strategies that can improve a player’s chances of winning.

This includes card counting – a controversial approach to the game which has been known to earn players millions when carried out correctly. A really interesting blog exploring all of the above would be helpful to gamblers looking to give themselves an edge on the table. Here’s a great example of an insightful article about blackjack strategy.

Not only do articles like this boost increase customer trust in a brand – they help to drive customers to smaller companies’ sites for a pinch of the cost of a traditional marketing campaign.

Beer

The craft beer revolution helped to revitalise an ailing alcohol industry in the UK

You might think that craft beer is nothing more than a hipster fad, but you’d be wrong. Craft beer is actually the most important innovation in the alcohol trade in the past 100 years. Samuel Adams are a Boston based Beer Company and they (among others) have been credited with kick starting the craft beer revolution.

In the latter part of the 21st century the American and British beer markets were dominated by huge brands such as Coors, Budweiser and Carling. However, Samuel Adams focused on their secret recipe and their craft to market their beer as an alternative to the market.

Samuel Adams focused on making quality beer with real taste to rival the mass-produced fare of the big brands. Eventually this led to a proliferation of craft beer companies in America and the UK.

Now the craft beer industry in the UK is thriving with micro-breweries popping up all around the country. Scottish company Brew Dog are one of the biggest success stories, rising to prominence with their intensely flavoured IPAs.

By focusing on skill and taste, craft beer companies have managed to achieve an equilibrium in the beer market, succeeding in making beer as nuanced a drink as wine. Some of the biggest names in the industry (Carlsberg, Carling, Peroni etc) are trying to muscle in on the craft beer market by producing their own craft beers.

Smaller breweries are still standing strong in their fight against the huge corporations. The British government have recently provided tax relief for small craft breweries which are helping to bring in revenues through foreign exports.

High street retail

The death of the British high street was so pronounced that the BBC and Channel 4 commissioned separate shows to document its plight. Town centres across the country were beginning to resemble post-apocalyptic TV sets back in 2010.

Online shopping is still on the rise today, with Amazon one of the biggest threats to the British high street. Amazon’s recent move into AI technology has allowed customers to order their groceries through Alexa, further negating the need for consumers to head to land-based stores for their favourite products.

Amazon’s soaring popularity is regularly cited as the reason why many independent businesses are closing – as well as major high street brands like BHS, which went bust in 2016. The same struggles are being felt by other huge high street brands including M&S, which recently announced store closures.

However, some small businesses are still standing strong. In the east end of London a conglomerate of independent businesses have teamed up to use cryptocurrency as a way to fight back.

The East London Pound is a local currency that has been launched in conjunction with the local council in a bid to encourage people to shop with local businesses. The main aim of the new cryptocurrency has been to negate the need for smaller businesses to pay huge charges to transaction companies like Visa and MasterCard.

The East London Pound was launched with an aggressive social media campaign which highlighted the benefits of spending money with local businesses. A council release informed people that every pound spent in a local shop is worth four times as much to your local economy.

This cryptocurrency has been a huge success in the area, which has seen a number of small businesses thriving. Recent tax avoidance scandals involving Amazon have also helped to change public opinions of the retail giant.

Summary

If you are dedicated and willing to do your research, you will find a way as a small business to fight back against the mega corporations. While you’re never likely to match the resources of industry leaders, you can succeed in building a loyal and committed customer base.

The public’s understanding of big business is increasing day by day with many customers recognising the benefits of supporting small businesses. There are opportunities to succeed – you just need to be willing to seek them out.