How to Scale a Business for Sudden Growth
One of the most pressing challenges for businesses is scaling up. You can only handle so much business, but you want to reach the next level and grow your business.
It’s a big investment and risk. You’re adding more capacity to handle more business, but you don’t know if the business will be there.
Would you like to know how to scale your business without going broke and losing your mind? Read on to learn how to scale a business in a way that makes sense for you and your business.
1. Plan to Scale Early On
It’s always an exciting time when you start a business. You’re your own boss, you wear a lot of hats, and you don’t know what each day brings.
Usually what happens with business owners is that they realize that the business can’t run without them. They always have to be there because if they don’t work, they don’t get paid. The realization hits that they just created another job for themselves, and they’re that a great boss!
The reason why you want to be able to scale your business is that you want to earn an income without having to be chained to your business. Other people do the work while you’re focused on other things, whether that’s taking the business to the next level or taking a vacation.
Ask yourself one question when you’re in the early stages in business, “How can the business run without me?”
That will help you visualize what the business will look like down the road and plan to scale up. The earlier you plan for this step, the better.
2. Look at Where You Need the Most Help
If you didn’t make a plan early on and realize you can’t do everything yourself, you can still scale your business. You know that there’s only so much you can do in one day.
Take a look at all of the tasks that you do each day. Make a list of what you absolutely need to do and what you can have someone else do.
This is hard for people because they’re really not ready to let go of control of these tasks. That’s holding them back from growing in a sensible way. Don’t be like them and know that it’s OK to let go.
3. Have Systems for Repeatable Processes
How many tasks do you find that you do over and over again? Maybe there are social media posts or emails that you send out regularly. These tasks can be scheduled and automated.
There are plenty of tools that can automate many tasks. Some of these tools don’t cost a dime. Look at your business objectively and start with one or two tools that can automate some tasks.
The reason why you want to do this now is twofold. It will take those tasks off of your plate. That frees up your time, and your new employees don’t need to deal with them, either.
4. Develop Policies for Doing Things
Business owners don’t like to let go of control of certain responsibilities because they don’t want to train employees. They don’t believe that anyone can do a better job.
They can if you develop policies and procedures that show your new employees how to do things step-by-step. All you have to do is walk them through the training documents and let them get to work.
5. Scale Slowly
Your business may not have the capacity to hire employees, but you are still ready to grow. How can you take the next step in your business?
Outsourcing is a smart way to scale slowly and still maintain profitability. It allows you to hand off items like customer service or accounting to professionals.
Outsourcing lets you scale up in baby steps. There are outsourcing companies in the Philippines and all around the world that offer affordable solutions for small businesses.
6. Don’t Sacrifice Quality for Quantity
You see this often with businesses that scale up too quickly. They start small and develop a strong reputation for great products and services.
They gain a large audience, and they no longer have the capacity to handle the demand. They have to scale up. That’s a good problem to have, but there are pitfalls with that.
Businesses that scale too quickly often lose a step in delivering the quality product and service they were initially known for. Sure, you may be able to serve many more people.
You have to ask yourself how you can maintain quality and standards as you add more people to your company.
7. Don’t Lose Your Culture
There’s something special about your company and people know it. That’s one reason why you’re ready to scale up. The question is how you can do that without losing what made your company special to begin with.
One of the major challenges of rapid scaling is that the company culture gets lost. You want to make sure that your new hires are aware of what your company is about. That can be done through training materials.
If you don’t know what your company culture is, now is the time to define it. Your culture will allow you to attract top talent to your organization.
How to Scale a Business Without Losing It
When you are scaling your business, you’re taking a calculated risk. You’re investing in equipment and labor to handle more business. It’s also not a sure thing that the business will be there to support the increase in capacity.
Knowing how to scale a business is a balancing act. You want to make sure that you don’t lose what made your business special, like the culture and quality of service.
You can start to automate certain tasks and then outsource some items. Then you can take the next step and make the investment.
Do you want more tips and resources to grow your business? Head over to the Tools and Resources page for everything you need to grow.
