The first rule of scaling a business is “Don’t worry about the rules of scaling a business.” If you’re copying others, then you’re always following their lead, which means you pick up breadcrumbs instead of getting the loaf. Instead, look for the leverage only you can create.
That requires an innovative strategy on three fronts…
1. Build business before buzz
“It’s enticing to spend on sexy things like PR and events. But while awareness is great — and needed — you want to make sure you have the distribution set up to fully take advantage of the awareness. Early on, we spent on those things to build buzz, but we didn’t have enough retail distribution…
We live in a world with so much noise. We are constantly bombarded with a “click here”, “subscribe there” or “If you buy this x product your life will be so much better,” — you get the point.
Here’s the deal, marketing changes all the time. What worked…
You've finally got your company on solid ground. Now you might consider taking funds to accelerate growth.
A pattern that I often see in small to medium sized businesses is that they become scared to take on debt after they have made it out of the...
Why do big companies, with more resources and experience, fail to innovate like startups?
As I “grew up” in business in big companies, including IBM, I always wondered why the real innovations seemed to come from startups…
Moving your business to a new city can sound like a desirable prospect at first glance. There might be better opportunities, better living conditions, or perhaps the city may be more aligned with your political and social convictions.
However, the purpose of business is to make a profit in a...
The pandemic has presented small businesses with harrowing new challenges over the past 18 months. One survey shows that about nine million small businesses in the U.S. fear they won’t be able to overcome those obstacles. But when small business leaders and entrepreneurs find their businesses in such unfavorable and unforeseen...