Embracing the “Small Giant” Model: A Path to Purpose-Driven Success

Feb 22, 2025

In today’s fast-paced business world, the pursuit of rapid growth and expansion often overshadows the importance of purpose and values. However, some companies choose a different path, prioritizing greatness over sheer size. These companies are known as “Small Giants,” a term popularized by Bo Burlingham in his book Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big. 

What is a Small Giant? 

A Small Giant is a company that deliberately chooses to remain small or grow at a controlled pace to maintain its core values, culture, and mission. These companies focus on being exceptional in their field, creating a positive impact on their employees, customers, and communities, rather than solely chasing financial growth 

Key Characteristics of Small Giants 

1)   Purpose-Driven Leadership: Leaders of Small Giant companies are deeply self-aware and driven by a clear purpose. They understand what they want to achieve and why, leading their organizations with integrity and passion

2)   Community Engagement: Small Giants are rooted in their local communities. They actively contribute to the local economy and build strong relationships with community members, recognizing the mutual dependence between the business and its surroundings

3)   Employee-Centric Approach: These companies prioritize the well-being and happiness of their employees. They foster a supportive work environment where employees feel valued and motivated, leading to higher job satisfaction and loyalty.

4)   Customer and Supplier Relationships: Small Giants cultivate personal and value-driven relationships with their customers and suppliers. They emphasize trust, integrity, and mutual respect in all their business dealings.

5)   Passion for Excellence: The leaders and employees of Small Giant companies are passionate about their work. This passion drives them to excel in their field and continuously improve their products and services.

6) Financial Prudence: While growth is not the primary goal, Small Giants maintain sound business models that protect their financial health. They focus on sustainable profitability and protecting their margins.

 

Why Choose Small Giant Partners? 

For companies like Revenue Enterprises that provide essential services in patient billing, bad debt solutions, and patient access and scheduling, offering the Small Giant model can offer numerous benefits: 

  • Personalized approach to solving your problems: Through an unexpected approach of a patient centered experience lens, we become fully immersed in your systems, culture, and community. You provide patients their first impression, and our solutions are the lasting impression which is crucial to your brands reputation as well as to achieving loyalty.
  • Enhanced Employee Satisfaction: By prioritizing our employees’ well-being, we have created a motivated and dedicated workforce that delivers exceptional service to your patients. When employees are satisfied and engaged, they are more likely to provide compassionate, attentive, and efficient service, leading to superior patient satisfaction. This positive interaction not only improves the patient’s experience but also strengthens the trust and loyalty between patients and your organization. 
  • Sustainable Growth: Focusing on sustainable profitability ensures long-term financial health and stability, allowing us to weather economic fluctuations and simultaneously minimizes risk to our clients and the services provided to them. 
  • Purpose-Driven Success: Aligning our business with a clear purpose and values differentiates Revenue Enterprises from competitors and attracts like-minded clients and partners. 

In conclusion, the Small Giant model offers a compelling alternative to the traditional growth-at-all-costs approach. By embracing this model, Revenue Enterprises achieves greatness through purpose, values, and a commitment to excellence. 

Karie Bostwick

VP of People and Compliance

As VP of People and Compliance at Revenue Enterprises, Karie Bostwick oversees People functions including recruiting, training, onboarding, engagement and satisfaction. Additionally, she is responsible for compliance training, oversight and monitoring.

Karie has a long history of working in the revenue cycle support industry. Her skills span leadership, operations start up, policies and procedures development, operations workflow, budgeting and client management.

She is passionate about the experience of our people, patients and the Healthcare clients we serve and believes that a team of diverse, talented and motivated individuals working together toward a common goal can make a difference.

Robert Sterett

VP of Information Technology

As a transformational leader Robert Sterett has leveraged his 20 years of experience to build effective service lines and exceptional teams. In his role as VP of Information Technology at Revenue Enterprises, Robert excels at taking a unique, balanced, and strategic approach to technology leadership with people first for the best possible outcome. Using his experience from engineering, project management and service line management he takes a multi-faceted approach to ensure the right people are in the correct position coupled with the best technology to meet or exceed all expectations from security to compliance and business continuity.

Robert’s leadership style lends itself to building long term relationships and has consistently been a relied upon strength in many organizations. Over Robert’s time as an IT operational and project leader, he has spent significant time in both hands-on technology facing roles and client centric management roles to bring the best solutions that strive to meet the business and client needs.

Focusing heavily on his personal development skills and opportunities, Robert continues to foster coaching and mentorship relationships everywhere in his life, and the lives around him.

Douglas Dunbar

VP of Sales & Marketing

As VP of Sales and Marketing for Revenue Enterprises, Douglas Dunbar leads with a passion for building strategic partnerships, nurturing relationships, and upholding customer service excellence. In his role, Doug focuses on marketing and brand strategy, sales team leadership, and working closely with members of the management team to best serve company goals.

Doug has over 28 years of National sales and marketing call/contact center leadership, with 10 years of service specifically at Revenue Enterprises. Currently, Doug serves as part of Wyoming HFMA Chapter leadership and has held various roles in Colorado HFMA Chapter leadership for over 9 years.

In his spare time, Doug is very family oriented. Additionally, he loves traveling, cycling, golfing, fishing, hunting, and boating.

Kris Brumley, MBA

President & COO

As President & COO of Revenue Enterprises, Kris Brumley is a collaborative partner within the executive team and a leader for operational functions across the organization. Kris productively shares vision, drives innovation, and supports those around her in a way that elevates them and fosters continuous improvement and results. She has helped create a supportive environment for clients resulting in 98% client retention and a 65% NPS score for all clients and 75% for top clients by revenue.

Kris possesses an MBA in data analytics and has twenty-five years of experience in the healthcare industry, with 19 specifically in revenue cycle. She brings a wealth of customer service experience to her role and has worn many hats at Revenue Enterprises including Director of Business Development, EBO Division Director, and VP of Client Experience Management.

In her personal life, Kris is as busy outside of work as inside. She values spending time with her family, and enjoys fishing, hiking, traveling and interior decorating and design.

Timothy (Tim) Brainerd

CEO

As CEO of Revenue Enterprises for almost 20 years, Tim Brainerd leads by example. He promotes a shared vision and stewards a culture of Integrity, Passion, and Respect. He has assembled and empowered high-performing talent and teams to support customers, facilitate strategic planning and manage the capital of the company. Under his leadership, Revenue Enterprises has doubled in size three times over the past fifteen years while maintaining a culture of caring and gratefulness.

Tim has close to four decades of revenue cycle experience, including nineteen years with RSI
Enterprises. He has been a past president of Colorado Chapter of the HFMA and a presenting speaker on the topic of Leadership. He is a fifteen-year member of Vistage International, the world’s largest CEO coaching and peer advisory organization for small and midsize business leaders.

Raised in the Midwest, Tim values humble principles like being respectful, caring, passionate, self-reliant, and most importantly grateful. His most important lesson and the lesson he hopes to pass on in all relationships is living the Golden Rule–do unto others as you would have them do unto you. He is intentional in his choices and believes in making decisions, taking action, being accountable, and loving your neighbors.

Whenever possible, Tim spends his time with his wife of nearly forty years, his adult children, and his grandchildren. His hobbies include fishing, golfing, traveling as well as game nights and sharing great food with his family.