Business Strategies For Sustainable Growth – A clear growth strategy is more than just a marketing strategy, it is an important cog in your business machine. Without one, you’re exposed to a volatile customer base and market volatility. So how do you plan to grow? If you’re unsure of the steps required to develop an effective growth strategy, we’re here to help. Business growth is the point where the business needs more ways to expand and generate profits. This happens when a company increases revenue, produces more products or services, or expands its customer base. For most businesses, growth is the main goal. With this in mind, business decisions are often made based on what will contribute to the company’s future growth and overall success. There are several ways to facilitate growth, which we describe in detail below. Types of Business Growth As a business owner, there are many ways you can grow. Business growth can be divided into the following categories: 1. With organic growth, the company expands through its operations using its internal resources. This is different from seeking external resources to support growth. An example of organic growth is making production more efficient and producing more in a shorter period of time, which leads to increased sales. The advantage of using organic growth is that it relies on self-sufficiency and avoids borrowing. Additionally, increased revenue from organic growth can help fund more strategic growth methods later on. We explain it below. 2. Strategic growth involves developing programs that help your business grow over the long term. An example of strategic growth is launching a new product or developing a market strategy to target a new customer. Apart from organic growth, these initiatives often require significant resources and funding. Businesses often take an organic approach in the hope that their efforts will generate enough capital to invest in future strategic growth initiatives. 3. Internal Internal growth strategies seek to optimize internal business processes to increase revenue. Similar to organic growth, this strategy relies on companies leveraging their internal resources. An internal growth strategy is the most deliberate use of existing resources. An example of internal growth is reducing wasteful costs and operating more efficiently by automating certain tasks instead of hiring more employees. Rather than focusing on external factors such as entering new markets to drive growth, companies need to consider how to improve their processes and become more efficient. 4. Mergers, Partnerships, and Acquisitions Although riskier than other forms of growth, mergers, partnerships, and acquisitions have high rewards. There is strength in numbers, and a well-executed merger, partnership, or acquisition can help expand your business into new markets, expand your customer base, or improve your product or service offering. Business Growth Strategies Growth strategies allow companies to expand their businesses. Growth can be achieved through methods such as adding new locations, investing in customer acquisition, or expanding your product range. A company’s industry and target market will influence the growth strategy it chooses. Strategize, consider options and include some in your business plan. Depending on the type of company you’re building, your growth strategy might include: Adding new locations Investing in customer acquisition Franchise opportunities Expanding your product line Selling products online on multiple platforms Your specific industry and target market will influence your decision. It is an almost universal truth that acquiring new customers plays a big role. Not sure how that works for your business? Let’s look at some steps to achieve growth. How to develop a company successfully? Use a growth strategy model. Choose your target growth area. Conduct market and industry research. Set growth goals. Plan your activity. Identify your growth tools and needs. Execute your plan. 1. Use a growth strategy template [free tool]. Image Source Don’t start without planning and documenting the steps of your growth strategy. We recommend downloading this free growth strategy template and developing the recommendations in the accompanying section to outline your organization’s planned growth process. 2. Choose your target growth area. It’s great that you want to grow your business, but what exactly do you want to grow? Your business growth plan should focus on specific growth areas. Common areas of strategic growth initiatives are: Increasing employee numbers Expanding existing office, retail and/or warehouse space Adding new locations and business branches Expanding into new regions, locations, cities and countries Adding new products and/or services Expanding purchase locations (eg, in new stores Selling or opening an online store) Revenue and/or profit growth Customer base and/or customer base growth rate Your growth plan may have more than one initiative listed. The above makes sense – the best growth doesn’t happen in a vacuum. For example, an increase in unit sales increases revenue, and additional locations and employees are added to support the sales growth. 3. Conduct market and industry research. Once you’ve chosen what you want to grow, you need to justify why you want it to grow in that area (if that’s possible). Researching the state of your industry is the best way to determine if the growth you want is necessary and possible. Examples include conducting surveys of existing and potential customers, conducting focus groups, or studying existing industry research. The knowledge and facts learned in this phase will better define the time frame, budget and end goal of this project to determine expectations and growth targets. This brings us to step four… 4. Define your growth goals. Once you’ve decided what and why you’re growing, the next step is deciding how much to grow. These goals should be based on your ultimate desire for where you want your organization to be, but they should also be achievable and realistic – which is why it’s worth setting goals based on industry research. Finally, take steps to quantify your goals in terms of metrics and timelines. “Increase sales by 30% per quarter over the next three years” is a much clearer goal than “Increase sales”. 5. Plan your activity. Next, define how you will achieve your growth goals using a detailed growth strategy. Again, we recommend writing a detailed growth strategy plan to get your team’s understanding and buy-in. Download this template This action plan should include a list of activities to achieve your growth goals, deadlines, team or responsible people, and resources. 6. Define your growth tools and needs. The last step before implementing your plan is to identify any needs your team may need during the process. These are unique resources that will help you reach your growth goals faster and with greater precision. For example: Funding: Organizations may need capital investment or internal budget allocations to implement this project. Tools and software: Consider what technical resources are needed to accelerate the growth process and/or gain insights. Services: Growth can be better achieved with the help of consultants, designers or planners in specific fields. 7. Execute the plan. Now that you’ve completed all of your planning, resourcing, and goal setting activities, you’re now ready to implement your company’s growth plan and drive business results. During this time, you need to hold your stakeholders accountable, keep the lines of communication open, and compare initial results with projected growth goals to see if planned results can be achieved or if anything needs to be changed. Your growth planning and implementation strategies will ultimately depend on your business, but there are some universal strategies you can implement when you’re starting out. Featured Resources Free Growth Strategy Template Fill out this form to access your template. Companies can implement various growth strategies to expand their business and revenue. Examples of Growth Strategies: Examples of Growth Strategies Viral Loops Milestones Word of Mouth ‘When they tickle, we tickle’ Personal Branding Market Entry Market Development Product Development Growth Affiliates Acquisitions Organic Growth Social Media Excellent Customer Service 1. The Loop Some growth strategies are designed to be completely standalone. They require an initial push, but ultimately rely mainly (if not exclusively) on consumer enthusiasm to sustain them. One strategy that fits the bill is the viral loop. The basic premise of the viral loop is straightforward: someone tries your product. They provide valuable encouragement to share with others. They agree and share with their network. Sign up for new users, see rewards for yourself and share with your network. Repeat. For example, a cloud storage company may offer customers
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