Start Small, Grow Wide
Building a flywheel of success for life and career
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. - Acts 1:8
This was Jesus’s final command before His ascension. It was not a vague inspiration, but a clear roadmap for impact. First, wait in Jerusalem until you're empowered. Then begin where you are: in Jerusalem. From there, go to Samaria, and finally to the ends of the earth.
It is a strategy of scale. Start with the known, move to the near-but-different, and finally reach the unfamiliar and vast. Christianity spread through this pattern. Paul began in synagogues before reaching out to the Gentiles. Even the early church didn’t attempt to “go global” immediately. They started with people they knew and places they understood.
I have applied this same model in leading change programs across government bodies and private organizations. We always begin with a few trusted insiders, people who understand the context and care about the mission. They help refine the message, uncover friction points, and build credibility. This inner circle becomes the launchpad for broader adoption. Once we succeed in that “Jerusalem,” we replicate in “Samaria,” involving adjacent teams or departments. Only then do we consider an enterprise-wide rollout.
Even in startups, this model is gold. Do not aim to put a dent in the universe on Day One. Instead, start with your “Jerusalem,” a few loyal early adopters who resonate with your mission. These are your thousand true fans. Let them test the product, break it, shape it. Their honest feedback will help you iterate quickly and find product–market fit. Then comes Samaria: a broader segment, perhaps neighboring geographies or similar personas. Only after succeeding there should you scale globally. In companies I have advised, we call this the crawl, walk, run approach. It is both scriptural and strategic.
To change the world, start with your Jerusalem.
# Action Items
- Pray for the courage to begin small and the patience to grow slow.
- Map your personal “Jerusalem.” Who already trusts you? Where is your influence strongest?
- Identify 3–5 early adopters for your mission. Launch a pilot, gather feedback, and refine before expanding.