Scaling your business can be daunting. As a startup, planning for growth may seem presumptuous; however, clear decisions from the start can help your business scale flawlessly.
Adopting the Six S framework helps your business prepare for the challenges of sustainable growth:
1. Talented and motivated Staff
When your business is in a rapid growth phase, it is tempting to hire to meet demand; however, it can be hard to backtrack if you compromise on talent at the beginning of your growth journey. Making strategic hiring decisions as you scale can change everything.
2. A culture of Shared values
Your business culture reflects how you collaborate, problem-solve, and meet challenges. These shared values determine how work gets done to promote success. As a startup, the challenge you face is de-personalising the core values and creating a shared organisational culture, so separate your inputs from the cultural outputs required for success.
3. Your organisation’s Structure
As a founder, you can’t be actively involved in every decision. Successful scaling relies on developing employees who can share the decision-making and are trained to thrive in more demanding environments. If you don’t relinquish the reins and trust your talent to grow, your business won’t scale.
4. Find the right Speed
You understand that your business needs to grow, but how fast is too fast? It is tempting to scale with what works rather than seeking perfection, but this comes with a cost. If you don’t pay down your technical debt as you scale, your business won’t create the stable infrastructure and robust systems your organisation needs to thrive.
5. Map your Scope
The flip side of speed is knowing where to look for new opportunities. Mapping your growth options with a Gloucester business advisory service such as
www.randall-payne.co.uk/services/business-advisory/ helps you focus and make rigorous business decisions on expanding into new markets.
6. Strategy is key
It is critical that you prepare for growth and anticipate scaling up. By understanding the common pitfalls and challenges, you can ensure your company is agile and ready for anything.