In the Shadow of Giants

Bigger is almost always better when it comes to business — at least that's the common belief. Big companies have more power over pricing. They get better deals with suppliers. They have more marketing might. And they can influence laws and regulations that their smaller rivals — those in their shadows — cannot. But smaller companies have advantages of their own: They're nimble and can often act faster and more aggressively than their king-size competitors. Plenty of niche companies have carved out impressive and powerful businesses.

The CEO of a competitor one-tenth, or even one-hundredth, the size of a dominant company often has to work in especially creative ways, and we can learn plenty from their maneuvers and strategies. In today's tough market, a David-like slingshot may not be enough; you need an arsenal of unusual weapons. What follows are snapshots of four companies that are surviving — and thriving — in the shadows of far larger competitors.

• Forest Laboratories: Finding Ways to Bring Drugs to Market — Fast
• Green Mountain Coffee Roasters: Carving Out Opportunities That Starbucks Missed
• J. Crew: One-Upping the Gap in Quality, Style, and Agility
• Salesforce.com: Building a Booming Market That Oracle Long Ignored