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Here at Central Comm, we are in the business of helping other businesses to succeed. When our customers’ businesses grow and prosper, it’s good for them and good for us. In the old days, they called that a win-win. Our customers win, and we win.
Now, more than ever, we are working with startups. We act as their receptionists, and we also act as dispatchers for the trades. It is our wish that these businesses stay successful and keep using our services. To that end, we take the time here on our blog to offer what we consider sound business advice.
There are some companies whose blogs we follow to keep up with the latest trends and discoveries as well as sound advice. One of them is Forbes Magazine. Forbes had an interesting post on their site, written by Rhett Power and I particularly like this part of it, see what you think:
Bad Piece of Advice #1: Never use techniques that cannot be scaled.
If you only adopted policies and protocols that could grow with your company, you might never get off the ground. In the early days of starting a business, feel free to use even the most unorthodox—albeit legal and ethical—means to keep your organization afloat.
Bad Piece of Advice #2: Scale what you do best first.
No, no, and no. When you scale just one area of your company, you inevitably silo it, causing repercussions down the road. Expect to scale multiple areas at once, even if some are not quite ready for the journey. The road might not be smooth, says Will Koffel, Google Cloud’s head of startup ecosystem for the Americas, but it will work: “Founders must recognize that a successful approach to scaling is always uneven. Many founders don’t identify the right sequence in which to scale various aspects of the business.”
He knows whereof he speaks. While working for a different organization, Koffel and his team built up the product and engineering teams prematurely before also ramping up the sales and account management teams. As a result, customers didn’t know how to leverage the tools that the engineering team was creating. After years of downsizing, the corporation got back on track, but the lesson learned was a tough one. Don’t scale in silos: Ramp up together or not at all.
Bad Piece of Advice #3: If you want something done right, do it yourself.
Wait. What? Yes, some people still eschew delegation. To be sure, some aspects of your startup belong squarely on your plate. At the same time, you can’t continue to bite off more than you can chew. That just leads to entrepreneurial indigestion — not to mention the heartburn of failed growth.
You will always be the key to putting your young company on an upward trajectory, so expect to throw yourself into it. Yet be willing to either bring others into the fold or learn to say no to opportunities you cannot manage. About two out of three fast-growing startups fail because they cannot sustain the breakneck pace their founders set. Putting the brakes on rather than going full throttle is a sign of maturity, not of complacency. If you don’t have the manpower to grow at top speed, be brave enough to admit it. Otherwise, you could thwart your scaling dreams.
Should you stop listening to what others say about fueling your startup? Absolutely not. Just make sure you weigh your options and consider multiple perspectives before setting off on your growth course. And don’t forget to listen to your instincts.”
Basically, what we think is this. Find what works for your company. Do the research, try different methods of working, be honest with yourself about what’s working and what’s not, then keep the things that work, chuck the things that don’t.
Unless you are someone with no intuitive skills whatsoever, you are going to know what’s working for you. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice, and to work as a team with other people within your company.
Central Comm
