Stuck in the growth stage

Most writers think of a business as having three stages: startup, growth and maturity. Many iterations of this progression can occur both simultaneously and consecutively in a business. The progression can apply to individual ventures; to parts of the business defined by market sector, geography or any other characteristic; even to individual people.

It is possible for a business to be “stuck in growth”: to be outwardly successful, but not actually achieving the full potential of the people in it. In addition to good management and communication skills in its people, for a business to be confident about moving into advanced growth, eight things must be in place. Our programme is designed to shift businesses from the growth stage into the maturity stage.

Many businesses are somewhere in the growth stage. We argue that a business should aim to get out of this stage—into maturity—as soon as it can, as this is where profitability can be significantly enhanced.

The issue is that little consideration is given (or needed) in startup to creating the firm foundations on which the business can develop. Once the business starts growing, everyone finds it so distracting servicing clients, getting more clients and developing products that insufficient consideration is still given to creating good foundations—only now the business increasingly needs these foundations to be in place if it is to be efficient and effective. Usually, what is done is done after the need has arisen and in an uncoordinated, hand to mouth way. As a result, even as the business is increasingly successful on paper, so that success is achieved with increasing stress and difficulty.

Eventually it will be the failure to create good foundations on which the business can grow and thrive that will cause it to collapse.

Inevitably our business growth and change programmes are tailored for individual clients to meet each business’s specific needs.  All programmes, however, comprise a mixture of coaching, mentoring and training for staff.  This is to individuals and to groups.

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>  Moving into maturity