| Most entrepreneurs rebel against following rules. | | | | responsible, accountable and proactive |
| It's that go-for-broke attitude that has started | | | | Stage 3: 20 to 34 employees |
| many successful ventures and those ventures | | | | -- Without fail, clarify and strengthen any and all |
| didn't start out by observing rules. | | | | communication with your employees |
| However, a thorough understanding of what | | | | -- Delegate responsibility and authority to capable |
| stage of growth your company is in will provide a | | | | supervisors and meet with them regularly |
| business owner with critical rules of the road that | | | | Stage 4: 35 to 57 employees |
| help business owners, with fewer than 500 | | | | -- Hire and effectively train professional |
| employees, focus on critical aspects of their | | | | department managers who are responsible and |
| company. | | | | accountable |
| As the President of a $12 million company that | | | | -- Establish a strict company project management |
| grew beyond my expectations, I struggled to find | | | | template |
| ways to engage employees in understanding what | | | | One rule that you may not want to know about |
| was needed to manage that growth. And I | | | | says: What you don't get done in your current |
| struggled against the overwhelming feeling of | | | | stage of growth will not just go away. The rules |
| frustration in trying to manage all the challenges | | | | in each stage of growth need to be addressed |
| being thrown our way every day. | | | | and if they aren't, you will face them again as you |
| Once I began to understand the stages of growth | | | | move to the next stage of growth. |
| and could articulate the rules of the road for our | | | | Stage 5: 58 to 95 employees |
| current stage of growth, those challenges became | | | | -- Integrate the management team into an |
| easier to manage. Why? | | | | inter-dependent, executive-focused leadership unit |
| Because I was talking a language each employee | | | | -- Establish a fully integrated living budget by |
| in my company could understand and I could | | | | revenue group and by department |
| carve out three or four areas of focus instead of | | | | Stage 6: 96 to 160 employees: |
| 20 or 30. It was getting focused on the critical | | | | -- Without fail, establish a two to three day new |
| rules of the road for my company when the | | | | staff orientation |
| dot-com blowup of March 2000 took out 30% of | | | | -- Without fail, secure regular one-on-one |
| my staff that saved us from the brink of | | | | supervisor/employee meetings |
| bankruptcy. | | | | Stage 7: 161 to 500 employees: |
| I've outlined two of the five critical rules of the | | | | -- Overhaul the business model to optimize |
| road for each stage of growth. | | | | direction and margins |
| As you read them and identify your stage of | | | | -- Set up an enterprise management/leadership |
| growth, simply add these two critical areas to | | | | succession system. |
| your current strategic plan and watch your focus | | | | Growing a business demands every minute of |
| get laser-sharp and your productivity rise. | | | | your energy, resources and brain power. The |
| Stage 1: 1 to 10 employees | | | | good news is you don't have to reinvent the |
| -- Generate, track and preserve cash | | | | wheel. By understanding your stage of growth, by |
| -- Focus 80% of your resources on selling the 2 | | | | knowing what the rules of the road are for each |
| to 3 offerings with the best margins | | | | stage of growth, you will have headlights to help |
| Stage 2: 11 to 19 employees | | | | you navigate the curves and get ahead of the |
| -- Sell absolutely every day | | | | obstacles. |
| -- Develop, without fail, three employees to be | | | | |