The Midwest Mindset

For everyone who thinks the Midwest is simply a cluster of flyover states, take note: the Midwest mindset could be the secret to better business performance.

What is the Midwest mindset?

According to a recent feature in Entrepreneur, the  Midwest mindset is all about hard work, sweat equity, efficiency, and—above all—smart, deliberate growth.

The feature’s author, Jeffrey D. Epstein (not to be confused with the infamous financier of a similar name) insists that the Midwest mindset leads business owners to think twice before turning to outside financing. Instead, they’d prefer to bootstrap the company, never “wooing backers with a growth-at-all-costs strategy.”

Growth isn’t the enemy. It’s the “at all costs” growth strategy that’s a problem, according to Epstein. When you are purely focused on expansion, you’re at risk of compromising quality and brand integrity. And while taking on outside investment isn’t inherently bad, it’s full of potential pitfalls. When you’re beholden to investors, there are additional cooks in the kitchen, and the broth is at risk.

Epstein advises thinking like Midwesteners. Apparently we’re known for “humility and a can-do attitude.” We’re not stingy; just practical and efficient. That means looking for smart opportunities to save. At Owl, we’ve had a Midwest mindset all along, even though we never called it that. Every day, we help companies save on staffing costs by providing rock star employees on an as-needed basis. We also help them make savvy financial decisions.

Call it Midwestern if you want. We just call it smart. And we think you should call us.