Every company that survives the transition from startup to major player goes through an awkward stage. Like any teenager, they experience growing pains as they adapt to the new conditions and needs associated with maturity. There are three such challenges that can be crucial to making it through this period intact.
1: Finding Enough Time
In the beginning, employees at a startup may find themselves working on a wider variety of projects. Everything needs to be done, and it doesn’t matter as much who’s doing it, as long as it gets done.
As the company grows, and as sales increase, the responsibilities get heavier and heavier. At some point, employees may find themselves with way too much to handle. New coworkers have to be hired to take on some of the added burdens. Hiring is a project on its own, though, so it can also add to the burdens placed on current workers if not done carefully. New hires should always make someone else’s burdens lighter.
2: Developing Organizational Clarity
Once a company does have the employees it needs, they need to know who they’re responsible to. In the beginning, the small startup team often works collaboratively and directly with the founders. The bigger the team gets, of course, the less practical this becomes.
It always becomes necessary at some point to implement interdependent but defined teams headed by middle- and senior-level managers. These in turn report to the company directors and executives. When to do this is a strategic question for each individual company. Doing it too soon can lead to micromanagement and top-heaviness, and if too late, an organization that spins out of control. In other words, even sharper growing pains.
3: Implementing a Precise Strategy
What is your company aiming for, and how is it going to get there? In the beginning, this question is less important. A startup may quickly find that its initial approach was flawed, or that there are more opportunities in a different target market. A small, young organization can pivot on-the-fly to respond to those changes.
A bigger company can’t move so nimbly,
as MailChimp once discovered. They should already have a very clear idea about who their customers are. In order for a bigger team to focus and achieve their individual and departmental goals, then, they should know what the company’s overall purpose, goals, and plans are.
BoomDemand sees these growing pains all the time. What we do about them, though, is make it substantially easier for our clients to scale up. We help them build dedicated and focused teams while keeping costs down. Through memorable experiences, we give them the strategic boost that attracts new customers and helps employees know how to serve them.
Contact us today to cut the pain out of your growth strategy!
