If you’re a small business, the odds are stacked high against you.

Your competition is bigger, better funded and has an established brand image. They also don’t have to worry about raising funds or attracting new talent.

You on the other hand, have no brand image, are constantly plagued with cash flow problems, and might even have faced the possibility of not receiving a salary next month. Other times,  sheer luck is the only way you’re able to open shop on Monday.

More icing on the cake: you’re never really sure if you’re making the right decisions, you’re constantly plagued by doubt and you’re not taken very seriously because, “You’re too small.”

In other words, welcome to the world of the underdog.

Thankfully,  it’s not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog that matters.

Google began as a research project, Richard Branson is dyslexic, and we’ve been flying faster than the speed of sound for over 50 years. Fortunately for you, it turns out that every major player, every monopoly, every powerhouse brand started just like you, as an underdog.  Overdogs beware: the thing about the underdog story is that the good* guy eventually wins.  Big companies more often than not grew to massive size because of a remarkable philosophy, product, service, etc…  And more often than not this flare can eventually be lost. So the Fortune 500 may have more economies of scale, but they may not have the same passion as you do either.  And this is good news for every underdog out there doing business.

Underdogs of Note

Underdogs from History

• The Patriots of the American Revolution
• David
• Gandhi and Indian Independence
• The Unknown Rebel
• Nelson Mandela and the Anti-Apartheid Movement

Dark Horses

• Jesse Ventura in 1998
• Ron Paul
• Winston Churchill
• Abraham Lincoln
• Barack Obama

Cinderellas

• Buster Douglas vs. Mike Tyson video here
• Liverpool FC’s 2005 European Championship League Final video here
• 2004 Boston Red Sox vs. Yankees
• Rulon Gardner video here
• Miracle on Ice

Business

• Apple
• 37Signals
• Google
• Microsoft
• Amazon

Honorary Mentions: William Wallace, All The Kings Men, and Rocky

In your opinion, who/what is the ultimate underdog of all time?

*good = anything so remarkably well done, you have no choice but to talk about it