The ripple is an interesting phenomenon.

Think of a pebble that falls into a vast body of water. It has an initial ripple effect, where a passerby will notice a change in the equilibrium. Then, the ripple disappears and equilibrium returns. Now compare that with someone digging an interncontinental tunnel, where the angle is off by 1%. The person that notices something askew will save the day. The tunnel could have been miles off its mark by that slight, almost imperceptible change at the outset.

It would seem that there are certain businesses where each small successive effort can have a vast effect, or where each small successive effort will turn into a non-factor.

The child that takes his 200′th step?
The person that presses the first key on the piano?
The salesman who smiles 27 seconds into the conversation?
The runner who runs the extra foot at the end of the 10 mile run?

Think of the guppie that found its mate under that pebble, built a family, and spawned millions of successive guppies.

Everything is important.