Have you successfully launched a startup? Congratulations! You are one of the lucky few to do so. Bad news, the real struggle is just beginning. Launching a startup is one thing, but growing and scaling a startup is different. If you are looking for advice, you have come to the right place.

 Let’s get started!

Nail the Basics

There are a few fundamental principles every startup founder should keep in mind. First, your business will never scale if you do everything yourself. No one has tasted success alone, which is as accurate in business as in life. Your business should run just as smoothly without needing you always to be there. Second, speed is essential when making decisions. Don’t waste time deciding on the perfect colours for your brand; it will evolve. Instead, focus on things that matter. Third, you never want to run out of money. Serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk wrote in his book #AskGaryVee that cash is oxygen for your business.

Sales Above Everything

There is no better proof that you have a good product than a long list of happy customers. Figure out your buyer persona and how to sell your product to them. Once you nail down your sales process, rinse and repeat going forward. The next step is to teach your team the process and watch as the revenue skyrockets. You will know you are succeeding when customers return to buy multiple products and retain your services.

Vision, Values and Leadership

Take some time to develop a clear vision for the company’s future. Your core values will guide how your company conducts business and its direction at crucial moments. Together, your vision and values will inform your company’s work culture and hiring decisions in the future. Scaling your business is also about mindset. As a founder, your attitude will shape the company’s attitude.

As a founder, it is your responsibility to lead from the front. Good leadership is about creating a culture where employees are encouraged to take the initiative and where the company’s long term objectives are in harmony with employees’ personal growth. People should be free to experiment and share new ideas. Good leaders must constantly question their beliefs about what’s possible and motivate their teams to exceed their expectations.

Find the Right People

There are two parts to this aspect. First, you want to surround yourself with people who have done what you are trying to do. You want a group of people who can mentor and guide you. You will save time, effort and pain by learning from others’ experiences.

The second part concerns your hiring decisions. Hire people only if you need them. You want the right people for the right roles. You want to hire multifaceted people who can thrive in a fast-paced and dynamic environment. You should be on the lookout for creative people with original ideas.

Automate Everything You Can and Outsource Non-essentials

Unlike big firms, startups don’t have the luxury of doing everything in-house. You can outsource non-essential activities like graphic design or SEO to external agencies. This approach will save you time and money, which you can invest in doing what you do best and implementing the strategy to scale your business.

Initially, you can spend time setting up your business by automating everyday tasks such as payroll and payments. You will save tremendous amounts of time later, and the automation will pay for itself in saved labour hours.

Marketing and Social Media Listening

You can’t scale a business if no one knows about it. Use content marketing to spread the word while optimizing costs. Focus on your team, product and customer experience to begin. Then, move on to advanced activities which will help drive customer lifetime value. These marketing activities aim to define your sales funnel and generate traffic, so you have a continuous in-flow of potential customers.

It is essential to pay attention to social media. Listen to what your customers are saying about you. Respond to every comment and mention to engage with potential customers. You might get ideas about your following product.

Parting Thoughts

The only thing certain about owning a startup is uncertainty. There is no perfect solution to scale your startup. We shared our advice gathered from working with numerous small and medium businesses. We are big fans of the Lean Startup methodology and believe in trying new things. To paraphrase Top Gun: Maverick, it’s not about the company; it’s about who’s running it.

Everything will eventually boil down to the person at the helm of everything, YOU! Go forward, be brave and Godspeed!

See you at the top!

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