The Hidden Costs of Playing Small: Why Female Founders Need to Think Bigger
The True Price of Unfulfilled Purpose
Hello, Denyse here, and a very warm welcome to We Are Mimosa, a place for women building brands which are aligned with their purpose and values, and who care about making the world a better place.
Standing in my allotment this weekend, I had a moment of realisation. Over the summer, after the General Election campaign, I'd seriously considered giving it up. The plot had gone wild during those intense months of campaigning, and the task of reclaiming it felt overwhelming. But after weekends of persistent hard work, I've now cleared 75% of the plot. More surprisingly, through researching what to plant, I've discovered permaculture - an approach to gardening that creates sustainable, self-maintaining ecosystems. Suddenly, what had felt like an overwhelming challenge has become an opportunity to build something more meaningful than I'd originally imagined.
If you're building a purpose-led business, you might recognise this feeling of overwhelm. That moment when the challenges seem too big, the territory too wild, the task ahead too daunting. We see the equivalent of those overgrown plots - the complexity, the uncertainty, the sheer scale of what's possible - and we're tempted to pull back, staying within comfortable boundaries. But in doing so, we miss the permaculture moment - the discovery that thinking bigger might actually create something more sustainable and impactful than we'd imagined.
What the Statistics Don't Tell Us
The statistics tell us this pattern of pulling back is startlingly common. These numbers might feel familiar - you might even see your own business reflected in them: a staggering 78% of women-led businesses struggle to exceed £50,000 in annual turnover, while male-led businesses are five times more likely to reach £1 million.
But here's what fascinates me, both from my CEO experience and my work with female founders today. These numbers aren't just about external barriers. They're about the hidden costs of playing small - costs that run far deeper than lost revenue. And often, they stem from not recognizing our own capacity for calculated risk-taking.
In fact, writing this piece has sparked an unexpected revelation. In sharing stories about female founders and purpose-led business, I'd almost forgotten my own history as a calculated risk-taker. It took revisiting some key moments from my CEO days to remember. Sometimes the biggest risk isn't in thinking too big, but in playing too small.
A CEO's Awakening
I remember the moment this truth hit home with crystal clarity. As a new CEO, I walked into an office where my desk was stacked high with failed funding bids. The organisation had never won a major tender, and this history of "playing small" had become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Then a £250,000 contract opportunity from the Department of Work and Pensions landed on my desk.
This wasn't just another bid. It would be the largest contract we'd ever won - if we won it. It meant recruiting and onboarding eight new staff, rapidly. It meant transforming our service delivery. It meant believing we could compete at a completely different level.
In that moment of decision, even though it felt daunting, something deeper than the fear spoke louder: purpose. Some long-term staff members were sceptical. "We've never succeeded at anything this big," they reminded me. But the potential impact pulled stronger. This contract would allow us to significantly expand our advice and information service, putting more money in the pockets of vulnerable older people. The purpose behind it was too important to play small.
The Power of Bold Moves
Looking back now, I can see why I felt confident taking that calculated risk. In previous roles, I'd managed large teams and complex transitions. But at the time, I didn't consciously think about this. I simply saw a purpose worth pursuing and ran the numbers until they made sense.
We won that bid. But just like my allotment's transformation from overwhelming chaos to potential permaculture garden, the real change wasn't just in the visible results. Winning transformed how our strategic partners saw us. It led to a major partnership developing a new community resource centre. Most importantly, it transformed how the organisation saw itself. Each subsequent bid no longer started with "We've never..." but with "How could we..."
The Three Hidden Costs of Playing Small
When we talk about the cost of playing small, most people think immediately about revenue. But after decades of leading organisations and coaching female founders, I've observed that the true costs of playing small run far beneath the surface.
1. The Financial Compound Effect
Yes, there's the immediate loss of potential revenue. But it's not just about the money you don't make today - it's about the entire ecosystem of opportunities that never takes root. Each time we play small, we miss not just one opportunity, but its entire cascade of possibilities. That £250,000 contract didn't just represent one funding stream. It created a foundation for sustainable growth that nourished our organisation for several years.
I see this same pattern with female founders today. One client, a legal firm owner, faced her own version of this crossroads when considering whether to acquire a smaller company. It required taking on debt - always a daunting prospect - but she recognised that the cost of not acting might be greater than the risk of moving forward. Just as one cleared section of my allotment plot reveals new possibilities, that first acquisition opened new horizons. Five years later, my client has successfully acquired eight more companies, each building on the confidence and systems established by the last.
2. The Purpose Penalty
Perhaps the most significant hidden cost is the impact left unmade. When we play small, we're not just limiting our business potential - we're compromising who we could become. As one founder recently shared with me, not fulfilling her purpose felt like it would be 'personally disastrous.' She recognized that holding back wasn't just about missed business opportunities; it was about not becoming the person she knew she could be. For purpose-driven founders, every time we scale back our vision, we're not just leaving potential clients unserved - we're leaving parts of ourselves unexpressed.
3. The Growth Gap
The final cost is perhaps the most insidious because it affects not just us but everyone around us. When organisations play small, they create cultures of limitation. Teams calibrate their ambitions to match. Innovation stays safe. Leadership potential remains dormant. After we won that £250,000 contract, the same team members who had doubted our ability began initiating larger projects themselves. Their language shifted from "we've never" to "what if we..." One success created a ripple effect of expanded possibilities, not just in what we did, but in who we believed we could become. Just like a permaculture garden, one healthy system encourages growth throughout the entire ecosystem.
Breaking Through: From Limitation to Possibility
The question then becomes: how do we break through these self-imposed limitations? How do we identify the difference between realistic constraints and artificial barriers we've built from past experiences or absorbed from others?
Whether you're just starting out, hitting a growth plateau, or ready to scale significantly, it starts with asking better questions. Instead of "Can we do this?" (which often triggers all our limiting beliefs), we need to ask:
For early-stage founders: "What foundation am I really building here?"
For plateau-stage businesses: "What systems need reimagining?"
For scaling businesses: "What ecosystem of growth could I create?"
For all stages: "What would make this possible?"
Your Breakthrough Moment
Every founder faces defining moments - opportunities that feel simultaneously exciting and terrifying. These are the moments that test our commitment to purpose, inviting us to step beyond our comfort zone into greater possibility. They might be:
Taking on your first employee
Scaling your team to the next level
Entering a new market
Making a significant investment in growth
Acquiring another business
Launching a bold new initiative
The key is recognizing that these moments aren't about reckless risk-taking. They're about calculated moves that align your capabilities with your purpose. Just as I'd managed large teams before bidding for that DWP contract, you likely have experiences and strengths that make your next big move more achievable than you think.
Bringing It All Together
As I look out at my allotment now, I see something different from what I saw this summer. Where I once saw overwhelming chaos, I now see the beginnings of a permaculture garden - a sustainable system that will grow stronger over time. Those first clearing steps, though daunting, have opened possibilities I couldn't see when everything felt overwhelming.
The same is true in your business. Sometimes what looks like an overwhelming challenge is actually an invitation to create something more meaningful than originally imagined. The key is taking that first bold step, even when - especially when - it feels just beyond our comfort zone.
Over to You
I'd love to hear your story:
What breakthrough moment are you facing right now?
Where is your purpose calling you to think bigger?
What bold move are you considering for 2025?
Share your thoughts in the comments below. Your story might be exactly what another founder needs to hear to make their next bold move. Together, we can create an ecosystem of growth and possibility.
Next week, we'll explore the specific signs that your business might be playing small, and I'll share more strategies for breaking through these limitations. Until then, remember: the biggest risk isn't in thinking too big - it's in playing too small.
If this resonated with you, please take a moment to "❤️" and share this post. Your story matters, and sharing it helps build the supportive community we all need.
Until next time,
Denyse
About me
If you’re new to my work, it might be helpful if I explain who I am and what I do!
I’m Denyse Whillier, a former Chief Executive with more than 25 years of business experience under my favourite Sézane belt. I upcycle my skills and experience to provide business mentoring and strategic support, reimagined for female founded businesses.
My mission is simple. It’s to make it easier for women to build thriving brands which are aligned with their purpose and values and to close the gender gap in entrepreneurship, one female founder at a time.
To find out how I can support you on your business journey, check out this link. And if you’d like to know more about the results my clients get, here are some of my case studies.
One-off advice | 3-hour intensive | Ongoing monthly business coaching | Done-for-you business audit