3 Ways to Successfully Scale Up Your Business

I tend to think of things in terms of “which problem is the better problem to have?” If my business is growing “too fast” and I’m stressing over how to best use the rush of capital and brand awareness, I consider that a good problem. That’s the problem I want to have. If my business is lagging behind in sales and I’m debating which corners to cut, which employee positions to downsize, and how not to look desperate in front of my clients, I consider that a terrible problem. I don’t ever want to have that problem.

Now all that being said, there are strategies you can implement to get the most out of your growth. Here are 3 strategies I use in my own business every day.

1. Hire in anticipation of growth.Think of where you want your business to be six months or so down the line. How many employees will you need then? Which positions? Once you kow the answer, start hiring those people today.

Now you might look at that and think, “What will I have those people do for the next six months? Isn’t that a waste of money?” Again, this is a better problem to have than the alternative. The alternative is that you hit that six-month mark and meet or exceed your growth plans, but then your growth fizzles out because you don’t have enough people to sustain it. That’s a bad problem to have.

2. Delegate to the right people. While hiring, focus on getting people who share your mindset. This is the one area of hiring where you should not accept “good enough.” You can train skills, but you’re in for a bad time if you try to rewire a person’s attitude. Be selective. Hire people who work hard because they love working hard. Hire people who are ready for a tough journey but optimistic about the outcome. And if you have anyone who’s underperforming, get rid of them. Now. Before they can sabotage your growth.

3. Always be selling. Let’s be brutally honest here: if you’re main concern is whether your team will feel comfortable with your rate of growth, you’re not thinking like a CEO. You’re thinking like a middle manager, and not a good one. Your duty as a CEO is to always be selling. Always promise more to your clients, and always push your team to achieve more. Your job is vision, not comfort. Great leaders charge past expectations, and great teams find ways to turn the vision into reality.