Stage 1 Company (1-10 employees) Chaos often rules at a Stage 1 company (1-10 employees). For some business owners, this can be energetic. For others, it is disconcerting. But owners of a Stage 1 company should worry less about managing the chaos and instead worry about managing expectations of employees. […]
Author: Jacqueline Sousa
Stage 1 – Non-negotiable rule: Hire for fit
Stage 1 Companies (1-10 employees) Whether you are looking to hire your ‘first’ employee or your tenth employee, as a Stage 1 company (1-10 employees), it is all about ‘fit” – how well the individual can work with you and the rest of your team. When you are starting to […]
Stage 1- Non-negotiable rule: Focus on your money makers
One of the biggest challenges of a Stage 1 company (1-10 employees) is getting focused. Not only on what crisis to take on for the day or week, but what product or services they should offer. Getting focused on product offerings requires a business owner to rewire their thinking on […]
Stage 1 – Non-negotiable rule: Track and preserve cash
As a Stage 1 Company (1-10 employees), one of the greatest challenges is generating, tracking and preserving cash. Cash is King is the mantra for successful companies. Many business owners recognize early on that simply ‘making money’ isn’t enough. You have to keep enough of it to reinvest in your […]
Stage 7 – Even if you don’t think it’s broke, shake things up
Stage 7 Company (161-500 employees) What a view. From where you sit, as the CEO of an organization with 161 – 500 employees, you have the right to be proud. Few business owners get to sit back and simply bask in the pleasure of being successful. If you are like […]
Stage 6 – Compete from strength by developing a strategic perspective
Stage 6 Company (96-160 employees) There’s a rhythm now. Patterns of behavior are established. Processes are in place. The morning walk through your company has an air of familiarity that feels good, feels comfortable. Your confidence in your staff is strong. If you’ve captured the imagination of your managers, they […]
Stage 5 – Alignment, integration: This growth stage is all about synergy
Stage 5 Company (58-95 employees) As a Stage 5 company, you have 58 – 95 employees. The company is beginning to align itself: sales and marketing understands and is involved with product development; and customer service is tied into every aspect of your operation. As the CEO, you are operating […]
Stage 4 – Complexity level increasing: Focus on experienced managers
Stage 4 Company (35-57 employees) This isn’t the time to think about saving money by hiring inexperienced managers. Once your company reaches Stage 4 (35 – 57 employees), you are in need of managers who ‘have been there, done that’. As CEO, you now are spending about 70% of your […]
Stage 3 – No longer CEO-centric: Time to start letting go
Stage 3 Company (20-34 employees) Hang on to your sanity, your world just shifted. The dynamic that occurs when a company moves to Stage 3 (20 – 34 employees) is unlike anything you’ve been through. Up to this point in the company’s history, it has been CEO-centric – your passion, […]
Stage 2 – Keep the momentum: Focus on these critical challenges
Stage 2 Company (11-19 employees) You are not sure when it happened. But without really being cognizant of it, you have 14 employees. Fourteen people who now rely on you to ‘bring home the bacon’ so they can fry it up at home. Ouch. You knew things were getting more […]