The (maybe surprising) scale-up challenge every business faces

The GrowthCatalyst Team
Aug 4
6 min read

two people walking toward a large Rocky Mountain — Scaling a business is a bit like scaling a mountain - it's a challenging exercise

You've built a business you’re proud of. Now there's a new challenge - the strategies that got you to where you are now could actually be what's holding you back now.

We see this all the time. When a business owner says something like, "It's weird. We're doing everything that worked before, but growth feels like much harder work these days."

Ring any bells?

It's weird because you're making good money, staying profitable, and you've got a talented, stable team around you. That’s a job well done. But now you're looking at what's next, and something (that you can’t put your finger on) feels harder than it should.

The strategies that got you here suddenly feel a little “off”. You're putting in the hours but not getting the results you’re used to. Your team suddenly seems a bit lost about the direction of the business and what they should be prioritising. Decisions that used to be straightforward now feel complicated.

Here's what's happening: the very things that made you successful are now getting in your way. Maybe not all of them, but enough to be a problem.

Key Takeaways

A growing business will inevitably come to a point where what's always worked doesn't any more.
With scale-up comes the need for owners to step back a little (maybe a lot) from always being the go-to person.
Purpose matters, because it creates the framework that will guide decisions and actions, improving your ability to meet your growth aspirations.
Working harder won't cut it. Things need to be done differently.

As always, please feel free to share this Insight with clients, colleagues and others in your network.

When what's always worked doesn’t anymore

Early success in business usually comes from rolling up your sleeves and getting stuck into whatever needs doing, whenever it needs to be done. You build personal relationships with clients. You're across every decision. You move fast to take advantage of opportunities when they come along.

And it works. Until it doesn't.

Because you can only maintain so many personal relationships - there are only so many hours in the day after all. Being involved in every decision means nothing happens without you. Too much chopping and changing confuses your team. And doing whatever it takes? That's sure to eventually burn everyone out, yourself included. We covered this last issue in some depth in our last Insight.

black writing on a plain beige background. writing says if you're reading this it's time for change — Growing a business is all about adaptability and preparedness to change

By no means are you doing anything wrong. It's just that what worked when you were smaller needs a different approach now. Trying to do more of the same isn't the answer. But that's exactly what many business owners do. More time. More hands-on involvement. Tighter control over everything.

The "I need to be involved in everything" issue

It’s a problem that eventually surfaces when you build a business by being personally involved with every client. It’s a common thing, of course…the owner’s knowledge and relationships take the business from startup to a good level of revenue.

It’s when you try to grow beyond this point that things start getting messy.

Why?

Because you inevitably end up having to be the expert in the room on every issue that comes along. Team members, as talented and capable as they are, find themselves unable to make decisions without checking with you. New people struggle because all the know-how is in your head, not written down anywhere. Fine when you’re around, but that can’t always be the case.

The only way to deal with this situation is to shift from being the person who does the work to being the person who makes sure good work gets done by others. Which of course is a different job entirely.

The transition isn’t easy or comfortable. Letting go of being the go-to person for clients is tough, especially when it comes to getting clients to the point where they accept that you’re not the only one with the answers. Time and patience are key.

You also need to reach a point where you trust your team with things you’ve always handled. It’s a bit like watching a child grow up and leave home. Emotionally tough, but you know it’s inevitable if you want the right outcome.

Once you make the shift? Your business can grow without taking over your life.

What actually needs to change when you scale-up

When it comes right down to it, this is an exercise in rethinking how your business operates. It’s not as simple as just hiring more people or handing off tasks. Some of the very things that have made you successful will need to be reinvented.

Instead of clients coming to your business because of their personal attachment to you, they need to be “trained” to come to your business for the outcomes it delivers. That means being clear on what makes your business great at what it does and creating ways for others, not just you, to deliver it consistently.

Instead of chasing every opportunity that comes along, set clear priorities that everyone understands. Not because being flexible is a bad thing (quite the contrary in fact), but because your team needs to know what matters when you're not around.

And rather than being the person with all the answers, you become the person who makes sure everyone has the answers they need.

This is where your business purpose becomes really useful - not as a wall poster, but as a practical tool.

Purpose matters...here's why

Many business owners think of purpose as a marketing buzzword. But when you're switching gears to scale your business, purpose becomes genuinely indispensable.

It creates the framework for almost every decision you make in your business. It helps you decide which clients are worth pursuing and which aren't. It guides how you structure your team and what systems you build. It's what helps you maintain the quality your clients know you for while you grow.

small wooden square tiles on a green background. some tiles spell out the word purpose — The reason your business exists beyond making money is your North Star

When your purpose is clear and built into the way work is done, it's much easier to step back from day-to-day decisions without losing the essential elements that make your business what it is (and what you want it to be).

Making it happen

So...how do you actually make this shift? How do you establish the groundwork for a successful scale-up?

The first thing? Be honest about what's happening.

Look at what's really working well. What are the things that have helped make your business successful? Your approach to clients, your culture, the way you solve problems - these are worth keeping as you grow.

Next, work out where you might be the bottleneck. Where (and why) does everything stop until you weigh in? What are the things that can only happen when you're involved? Where is your team waiting for you to make decisions they could probably handle themselves? In other words, be willing to put yourself under the microscope.

Get clear on why your business exists beyond making money. What do you actually do for people? What difference do you make? How would clients be worse off if your business ceased to exist? This becomes your guide for everything else.

Build systems that work without you being involved. Not just operational processes, but ways of making decisions and working that don't need your input every inch of the way.

And then - this is the uncomfortable bit - actually step back and let it work.

The bit nobody mentions

Make no mistake…it’s a tricky dilemma. To scale your business, you need to begin to step back from it. To have more impact as a leader, you need to be less directly involved. To build something bigger, you need to make it less about you personally.

Ironic, isn’t it?

And it doesn't sit comfortably with most business owners. It’s hard not to feel like you’re losing control. But what you're actually getting is the ability to build something that can grow beyond what you can personally handle.

Where to from here?

If this sounds like where you're at, you're probably ready to change things up.

So start looking at your business differently. Instead of "How can I do more?" ask "How can the business deliver value without me being involved in everything?"

Instead of "How can I work harder?" try "How can I work more strategically?"

Instead of "How do I control everything?" ask "How do I build systems that deliver good results consistently?"

What got you here has done the job. But what's next needs a different approach. The good news is that you've already proven you can build something that works. Now it's about building something that can grow without taking over your life.

You've come this far.

What's next?

Does this Insight hit home?

Want to change things up for better results?

A conversation with a GrowthCatalyst adviser could be just what you need. We'll walk you through our Growth-Ready Business Assessment and discuss the benefits you can expect it to deliver in helping you achieve your long-term aspirations.

Alternatively, you can book a time for an initial discussion here.

In other news...

GrowthCatalyst has joined forces with several like-minded professionals to form the advisory group Konektis (check us out here). Collectively, the Konektis team provides integrated, multi-disciplinary advice to SMEs to deliver a "one strategy" outcome.