One of my mantras over the years has been that technology will not tilt the playing field in favor of big operations over small ones.

It will level it.

That’s not an entirely original idea.

Nearly 30 years ago, Clayton Christensen’s book, *The Innovator’s Dilemma*, made the case for how emerging technologies can allow smaller competitors to challenge even the most dominant companies.

That mantra was on my mind recently as I stayed at an inn in rural Kentucky.

It was one of those trips when the Johnny Cash song “I’ve Been Everywhere” rang in my ears. After three decades of traveling this country, I feel that song personally.

In this case, I was fortunate enough to be asked to speak at a bank function in a place I had never visited.

I searched for lodging options within 15 minutes of the venue, and many of the mega chain options popped up.

But in that list was an inn. Always looking to support small businesses, I clicked on the link and learned that it was owned by a local couple.

Their website was very professional. And since it was the offseason (I didn’t know rural Kentucky had such a thing), the rates weren’t bad.

From the moment I booked, I began receiving texts telling me how happy they were that I was staying with them and what to expect upon arrival.

These were automated messages, but still helpful.

Turns out, I was…literally…the only person staying at the inn for the two nights I was there.

There were about 20 rooms and seven individual cabins at this place. And I was the only occupant.

Hey…it’s the offseason in rural Kentucky.

When I walked into an empty lobby, a sign on the counter explained that the staff was not always in the lobby, but an alert had been sent and someone would be there shortly.

Sure enough, someone was.

The lobby was lovely, the continental breakfast they put out just for me (twice) was great, and the keypad entrance to my room using the last four digits of my phone number was really cool.

The two staff members I encountered were beyond friendly, and my experience had me leaving fantastic reviews on the surveys they texted me.

That inn offered personal service and touches that few large chains can deliver.

But its technology made it feel every bit as sophisticated as the mega chains.

The field is level.

How competitive are you?

A few old friends (both in how long I’ve known them and how old they are) and I have a tailgating group for Houston Texans games.

Houston tailgates feel a lot like a county fair every home game.

One of the guys converted an ambulance into the Tailgate Response Unit.

We’re not licensed to practice medicine in Texas, but one of our crew makes brisket sandwiches that have healing powers all their own.

There are no reserved spots, but our group and the regular neighbors have been in the same area for well over a decade.

The veterans know who goes where. It’s an unspoken law.

Last year, during one of the rare games I missed, two couples got to our spots first.

They didn’t know it was our area. Our guys politely explained the situation…but invited them to stay.

They begrudgingly moved their vehicles, then joined the group.

When I showed up the next week, I was told we might have four new regulars. I wasn’t enthusiastic.

We’d been claiming that area before dawn for a decade. You can’t just waltz in and become part of the club.

Now, one year later, they’re some of the best people we know.

They’re even on the group text, which is when you know you’ve officially been adopted into the family.

I only later learned that both wives have mobility challenges. They chose our spot because it was the shortest walk to the gate.

Last week, I joked with one of the guys that he annoyed me.

I’d been so ready to dislike the people who crashed our spot.

And now look at us…all friends and stuff.

He’s a big guy who played college football in the 1980s.

He laughed and said that day he figured he could “whoop” any one of us, but not all of us. I told him that I would have bet on him.

He was half-joking. So was I. But the moment stuck.

We were all ready to protect our little territory, and the people who “took” it turned out to be some of the best additions we could have every asked for.

It’s easy to treat anyone who shows up uninvited, in a parking lot or on a team, as an interruption.

But they might just be a wonderful addition.

Don’t prejudge the folks who get forced into your personal or business life. Give them a chance.

You can’t have too many good people around you.