Do you have the following building blocks of growth in place, and can you manage them?

Core Competencies

Now that you have a growing business, you need to measure the aspects of your enterprise that drive your profits and those that increase your expenses. Common non-core functions in a small business are:

Planning the growth and controlling costs

The tools for planning your growth and maintaining your costs are cash flow projections (see Cash Flow Statement   ) and multiple scenario budgets planned on a shorter term than one year. While it may be pessimistic to plan for failure, do the math and figure out what things might look like if more money is going out the door than coming in.

Work on improving sales in the slow times

Huge peaks and valleys in the business cycle make it difficult to grow a substantial business. Look for complementary business services and products that provide a steadying influence. Market intensively, perhaps offering price breaks, during the down cycle so that you can offset your fixed costs. Build relationships with suppliers that build goodwill for the down cycles, as this may give you some leeway in terms of bill payments.

Manage the cash beast

Cash flow is king in all businesses, but especially small businesses. A poor business plan, operational budget, and cash flow plan contribute to financial risk. Get in the habit of doing a mini-business plan for every project, complete with a cash flow projection, and best-middle-worst case scenario. Start some cash flow kick starts today:

Employees and employers, together, create a corporate culture

Cultivating a winning corporate culture is the “buzz” of top employers. The leader’s most important function in creating an exciting, stimulating, growing business is communication. Employees need to feel empowered and that they have contributed directly to the success of the organization. People, including customers, have to believe that the plan will work and that it is not going to be abandoned for the next “hot thing.” Both of the previous two points require commitment of the leader to be a coach and team builder. By focusing on outcomes, working through natural leaders in your organization and listening, your job as a leader becomes easier.

Take time for yourself

Business success depends on the health, creativity, and physical and mental stamina of its leader. Business owners report stress and burnout lead to illness, relationship break-downs, and more. Take the time for yourself that you need to stay healthy (read the delegation section one more time!) so that you can steer your ship, through growth, to success.