New Brand Campaign "Dream Small" From Gusto Proves There's Nothing Small About Small Business
The national campaign, directed by Nick Ball and shot by Hoyte van Hoytema, is running across broadcast, streaming, social, audio, and digital out-of-home
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Gusto, the leading partner for small businesses, today announced its new brand campaign, "Dream Small." The campaign, Gusto's biggest creative campaign to date, challenges the idea that bigger is the only measure of success, arguing that for the entrepreneurs and founders building something completely their own, in their own way, with their name on the door and people they know by name on the payroll, small might be the bigger dream.
"Dream Small" arrives as new small business applications hit an all-time record this year, fueled by a younger generation of founders who can launch faster and leaner than ever and who want independence and control over their own economic futures with more businesses likely to come. Millennials and Gen Z who haven't started businesses yet have big plans to, with 66% of them having seriously considered starting a business. Meanwhile, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, small businesses make up 99.9% of all U.S. businesses and account for 43.5% of GDP: proof that there's nothing small about the power, influence, and sway of small business in the American economy.
"There's a version of the American success story that's been repeated so often it's treated as fact: dream big, climb the corporate ladder, build something massive, or you haven't really made it," said Ximena Keirouz, Chief Creative Officer at Gusto. "The people we serve chose a different dream. They forge their own path, build something that matters, and take care of people they know by name. 'Dream Small' is built on one promise: there's nothing small about small business. Statistics can tell you how big small business is, but only a story can make you feel what's at stake when someone bets on themselves."
Gusto's "Dream Small" campaign was developed in collaboration with Special US, directed by Nick Ball and shot by cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema (Oppenheimer, The Odyssey). The films are cinematic and story-driven, closer in tone to character-based film and television. The hero spot, "The New Big Dream," follows its protagonist, a character named Tony, as he opens a single dry-cleaning store - his childhood dream - pursued against the advice of nearly everyone around him, including his father, who wanted him on the corporate ladder instead. Supporting films pair true-to-life small business moments with the Gusto products behind them: a massage therapist who never has to think about payday; a septic-service owner setting up health benefits mid-pump-out; a medical aesthetics practitioner announcing her own clinic; and an office manager setting up retirement plans while a coworker microwaves a burrito in its plastic wrapper. These stories will continue to roll out across the rest of the year and into early 2027.
Gusto's "Dream Small" brand campaign will run across broadcast, online video, social, audio, influencer, and digital out-of-home beginning October 29, 2026. Broadcast placements include live sports coverage on CBS, FOX, The CW, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video through Thanksgiving week. Digital out-of-home runs in New York, including LinkNYC kiosks, Penn Station, and transit shelters across Manhattan, and in downtown Chicago. To learn more about Dream Small, visit gusto.com/dream-small.
About Gusto
Gusto takes the guesswork out of running a small business. From forming a company to paying a team to staying on top of compliance, Gusto simplifies payroll, benefits, HR, and money management so business owners can get back to the work that matters most. Founded in 2011, Gusto supports more than 500,000 small businesses from offices in San Francisco, New York, and Denver. Learn more about Gusto's mission to grow the small business economy with technology and heart at gusto.com.
SOURCE Gusto, Inc.
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