HOW TO SCALE
BUILD IT CORRECTLY
AND THEY WILL COME!
FREE YOURSELF UP TO GROW!
Scaling a business is so much more than growing a business. The concept of scaling a business is often used interchangeably with achieving massive growth in a short period of time, but these are two distinct concepts. Without a clear definition of scaling a business, and the necessary steps required to build and grow correctly, a business can suffer a range of problems stemming from not having created a sure foundation to support its rapid development. Learning how to scale a business mitigates these risks by ensuring that a solid identity and foundational operations are established to support sustainable growth in the long term.
Here are 8 necessary steps for building
A STRONG FOUNDATION THAT WILL SET YOUR BUSINESS UP
TO HANDLE CONTINUOUS GROWTH SUSTAINABLY:
1
KNOW YOUR PURPOSE AND BUILD YOUR BRAND IDENTITY FROM YOUR PURPOSE
Build your brand from the inside out based on a common belief that drives your mission and will inspire both your team and your clients. Lead with your “why” and your beliefs to connect with your audience on an emotional level, because the part of the brain that makes decisions is the part that feels emotion. Does your brand messaging speak to the right part of your audience’s brain and truly connect with your customer? Does your brand messaging inspire your team? Your brand messaging can make or break your ability to scale as it is the foundation of your identity. Start with "why"!
2
CREATE A BUSINESS MAP
A business map is foundational for visualizing to materialize your goals as it answers foundational questions that get at the core of your identity. The answers to those questions are the building blocks for the strong foundation needed for significant, future growth. Creating a business map prompts you to ask foundational questions such as: What business are you really in? What was your reason for getting into this business in the first place? Business maps encourage and challenge you to look at where you came from, define your purpose for starting this business and look ahead to each of your goals on the journey towards fulfilling your purpose. Visualize to materialize!
3
CULTIVATE YOUR INTERNAL CULTURE: DEFINE AND LIVE YOUR CORE VALUES
Do you walk the talk? Does your team know your “why”? Are they driven by it? Does your team work because they believe in what you believe in and are inspired by the mission, or are they there just for the paycheck? Define your identity based on your your beliefs and core values, hire people who believe in what you believe in, and then together, authentically live your core values so that your culture becomes a living movement of people excited to be on the mission, and your team doesn’t begin to feel like just a group of people obligated to work together for the uninspiring, sole purpose of generating revenue. Establish a movement mindset in your culture, and your team will be motivated to push towards the finish line with you!
4
ESTABLISH EFFICIENT & DUPLICABLE SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES
Building an infrastructure of repeated tasks that are done efficiently and are easily duplicable as automated processes will save you time and create seamless operations that can free you up to build your business. If you hire team members that create these processes, maintain them, and then continue to reevaluate them and evolve them as the business evolves, then your automated processes are flexible and adaptable to sustainably handle growth over time. It is crucial to establish this in the early years so that you build a solid core to grow from. While you can always improve on this core as growth occurs, it’s much more difficult to go back and create it once you’ve grown past a certain level.
5
SIMPLIFY AND PERFECT YOUR PRODUCT AND BUSINESS MODEL
The simpler the business model the better, and staying true to you model will help you know when to say “no” and know when to say “yes” in your business. Does it align with your model? Does it align with your WHY? Is your product something enough people in the marketplace want and need and is it easy for them to understand? Have you created a solid product or service of quality and value? Have you worked out all the kinks? Many business owners are so focused on growing that they often assume they will just fix things when the demand rises, but if you don’t simplify and perfect now, issues will only get worse when you are scaling. The early years of your business is the time to simplify and perfect the product and the production of the product your customers want so you can grow later.
6
BUILD A STRONG TEAM YOU CAN EMPOWER AND DELEGATE TO
It may seem obvious that building a team is necessary to scale a business; however, many business owners have a hard time letting go and delegating, and end up doing instead of building. Leaders who build are leaders who equip, train, empower and motivate their team to own and dominate their area of responsibility and work independently. Leaders inspire their teams to get behind the movement, which is why the priority above all else should be the team. If we support and take care of the team as humans and create a great work environment, we can establish The Happy Team - Happy Client Cycle! Love your team and the work will come! And, of course, know when to outsource to freelancers instead of taking on a salaried employee, another huge help in building a team!
7
CONTINUE LEARNING AND INNOVATING
In this information era, it is so important in our industry and in all industries to constantly pursue continued education to learn the latest in the trade, be up to date with the times, and innovate to stay a step ahead of the trends and be ready for MORE - for what’s next. Constantly providing access to courses and training and encouraging or requiring professional and personal development is crucial in developing a strong team with a growth mindset. In business – and in life – if you’re not growing, you’re dying. Don’t make changes just for the sake of change – when you strategically align your choices with your ultimate purpose, scaling your business will come easily. Take the time and do it right. Remember that massive growth is one thing, but it’s sustainable growth that makes for a lasting company.
8
FORM LOYAL LONG-TERM EXTERNAL RELATIONSHIPS
Sustainable growth is contributed to not only by the internal team member relationships, but by the external team member relationships as well. In order to scale a business sustainably, it is important to develop external relationships with clients, suppliers, partners and other outside organizations. By establishing an intimate relationship with your customers, they become staunch advocates for your brand and help you scale your business by spreading the word. Creating raving fans of your product is critical for your business to thrive amid the ebb and flow of ever-changing consumer preferences. These loyal fans who believe in you and what you believe in, and stick with you long term, are the ones who will help you grow sustainably over time.
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