The Plain Truth About Business Growth!

I hear this statement all the time. Most of the owners I have spoken to (and that’s a big number) devote a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to building a successful company. They seek to offer quality products and services to the marketplace and to accomplish something significant in their community. In other words, they are trying to build something special.

But let’s be honest. At the center of it all, they want to make more money and have more free time to spend with the ones they love, doing the things they are most passionate about. In most case, the business is just a vehicle to help them get what they want out of life! To them, a successful business equals a more fulfilling life! As a result, growing their business is a top priority. Maybe you can relate.

Now we all know that a lot of businesses close their doors every year. Not all businesses make the cut! And if you’re among the ones that did, you probably have established yourself in your local market. For you, the question may be less about “will my business continue to grow?” and more along the lines of “HOW will it grow?” and “WHAT will it grow into?”

Think of an infant for a moment. As long as a baby receives basic care and nourishment, it will grow. That’s the natural order of things. From infancy to childhood to adolescence to adulthood, development is “a sure thing.” In other words, as long as basic needs are met, growth is inevitable!

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How that child grows up, however, is hugely dependent on what kind of environment, experiences, and influences shape him/her. Will the child be raised in a nurturing home, or in a negligent environment? Will it be a positive experience, or one filled with unnecessary pain and hardship?

What kind of person the child becomes (what the child grows into) is another matter. No matter what kind of home a child grows up, it’s ultimately the choices a child/teenager makes that impacts his or her future in a significant way.

It’s the same with you and your business. Growth will happen, but how do you “get there?” Will you make needless detours on the way to achieving the success you’re looking for? Will the growth take longer than is really necessary? And what kind of decisions are you making? (Or not making)? These decisions (or the lack of them) determine your reality and impact your bottom line in a big way.

One of the common complaints I hear from business owners is “This isn’t what I signed up for!” Translation: “My business has become something I never planned for. This isn’t what I envisioned in the beginning.” Maybe that’s your story as well.

Remember… the burning issue here isn’t so much whether your business will grow or not, but rather how it will grow and what it will grow into. That means your number one priority as the owner of your business is to make sure it grows on purpose and by design, and not by accident, to lead your company into the future that you envision. Don’t let your business grow without the proper leadership required to build a successful company and a more fulfilling life!

How is your business growing today? And what is it becoming? Those are the crucial questions you have to wrestle with.

Eric Deschamps | Business Coach, Ottawa