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 […]
Tag: business growth
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 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 […]
Grow your new business – but first survive!
The honeymoon is over. You have your start-up capital, you quickly ramped up to 4 – 6 employees and now the fun begins. Getting out of the gate with a new company is not easy, but it’s a cake walk compared to creating a consistently profitable business that you run […]