Growing Pains... Lesson 7 of 10 for 10 Years
Have you even seen one of those graphs showing company growth that just follow this beautiful, straight upward line that just sums up the word ‘trajectory’? Got the image in your head? Good.
Even the definition of the word trajectory involves bisecting at a constant angle and that is what most posts/blogs/things that talk about growth talk about - a constant movement forward and upward.
Well, I’m here to tell you that growth is less like the powerful movement of a launching rocket and more like riding the teacups on a rollercoaster. Yep, you read that right, going round and round and up and down and sometimes backwards… all at the same time.
Just the thought of that is making me nauseated, thinking about crying and frankly desperate to get off!
Ten years of running this wonderful company and in the last 2 years I have been through the biggest changes, the fastest growth and the scariest time I’ve had so far… and it wasn’t easy.
I’d love to say that I always had a plan or that I always knew what I was doing or, even better, that it always went right. But I can’t.
The simple fact is that growth is hard, it is scary and it’s not as straightforward as it seems but it’s totally worth it!
So, when I knew I wanted to grow what lessons did I learn? Well here’s a list of what not to do:
Don’t assume all of your existing systems and processes will keep working? They won’t, they start to creak and eventually break under the increased load so think about how things can be done better or more efficiently and don’t assume that things should always be done the same way.
If you want to grow think carefully about how and why. When I first set growth targets they were financial ones: I wanted to earn x more £ per month- this led me to taking on clients that I didn’t enjoy working with and in the end had to part company with.
If you’re taking on people be prepared to put in time. I’ll admit, I’m still pretty bad at this, finding time to delegate and manage is something I fall down on a lot but doing this properly is the key to bringing in a team who actually support you.
Do not be scared to fail. There’s actually no such thing, taking a step back and reassessing isn’t failure it’s a chance to learn and do it better next time. Believe me, I’ve done it and I’m glad I did.
Invest. In yourself, in your business. Be prepared to admit you don’t know it all, can’t do it all and invest in help, in learning, in mentorship, on accountability, in growth. Just trust me on this, it will skyrocket your potential.
And lastly don’t expect a smooth takeoff. Take an anti-sickness tablet, gird your loins and strap yourself into the teacup rollercoaster and enjoy the wild ride!