Typically there is a disconnect between small businesses and large businesses.  Oftentimes small businesses think that they can’t possibly emulate anything that the big players in business like Wal-Mart, Target and Sears are doing in the retail space.  Be it marketing, advertising, or just simple brand management, the thinking is that you need big money to do the kinds of things these companies do.  Some of the time, that’s accurate, but many times, if you look down deep at the culture of the company and how they do business, you can find themes and values that every business of any size can adopt.
Costco is one example, and is pointed out as such in a recent story on Open Forum this week.  Rohit Bhargava took a look at some of the things Costco is doing that many small businesses can strive for, including working on keeping employees happy, and focusing on the long term rather than the short term.

The full article can be found here.  Have you take lessons from big businesses in the past and applied them to your own business?  What has worked and what hasn’t?

*Photo courtesy of Ken Rockwell photography