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  It is one thing to get your business off to a flying start, but quite another to sustain your business growth over time. Unfortunately, many SMEs and startups fail to achieve the latter. After an initial period in which they show some promise, they eventually flounder and stagnate. This isn’t what you want for your enterprise.
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If you’re going to sustain your business’s growth, you’ll need a well-thought-out strategy that encompasses various aspects of your operation. This article will walk you through the key principles and strategies you can adopt to keep your business flourishing.

Take a Customer-Centric Approach

Your business stands a chance of surviving and thriving in the medium to long term if it serves its customers right. Your customers’ satisfaction should be your top priority, as they’re the reason your business exists in the first place. Continually ask them for feedback and implement suggestions that are most likely to improve their engagement with your brand.

Prioritize Financial Management

It’s important that you figure out your business’s finances and that you do so early on. Maintain records, track revenues and expenses, and deploy tactics that enable you to collect payments faster. Your aim should be to remain cash flow positive and become more profitable over time.

Move Towards Greater Operational Efficiency

Athletes need to be physically and mentally fit to compete and turn in world-class performances at sports events. Similarly, your business will only excel when it’s trim and efficient. Achieving this goal means eliminating waste, cutting costs, and investing in aspects of the enterprise that generate the most profit.

Hire and Retain the Right Talent

Your startup is only as good as your team; it can only grow at the pace at which their skills allow. So, be deliberate about employing people who have what it takes to lift your business to the next level of growth. Make sure your hiring process is primed to select the very best hands for each job.
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Be Innovative and Adaptable

Don’t rest on your laurels; your competitors are always on the lookout for opportunities to expand their advantage over you. To stay relevant in today’s fast-changing economy, you’ll have to be more innovative and adaptable. This will often require sharp vision, a high level of creativity, and a willingness to adjust to rapidly evolving circumstances.

Take Marketing and Branding Seriously

There’s more to establishing a remarkable presence in your industry or niche than just slapping your logo on your website and social media pages. Use similar colours, visual forms, and communication styles across your various channels and marketing so that your business becomes recognizable. And interact with clarity and in a manner that appeals to your target audience.

Get Serious About Risk Management

Every business faces risks, whether they are related to economic downturns, market competition, or external factors like natural disasters. In order to minimize the impact of risks on your startup or small business, implement risk management strategies that will safeguard your business against unforeseen events and setbacks.

Expand Your Product/Service Portfolio

One way to sustain growth is to expand your offerings. Another would be to enter new markets. The approach you decide to take will depend on the resources at your disposal and whether the strategy aligns with your mission and vision.

Regularly Measure Your Business’s Performance

Set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for your business as a whole and for its various departments or aspects. Those KPIs should correspond with real growth objectives. Track performance regularly (weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc.), comparing metrics against benchmarks you’ve set. This way, you’ll keep your business and its team(s) on their toes and always focused on achieving growth goals.

Plan for the Long Term

While it’s important to focus on short-term goals, you should also have your long-term vision in mind. Consider where you want your business to be in 5, 10, or 20 years, and make strategic decisions accordingly.
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Final Words

Sustaining business growth requires a proactive and adaptable approach. If you continually refine your strategy, listen to customers, and stay ahead of industry trends, you’ll position your business for long-term success. Featured Image Source: InsideOut Group
Got a suggestion? Contact us: editor@connectnigeria.com

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This article was first published on 21st October 2023 and updated on October 23rd, 2023 at 12:25 pm

ikenna-nwachukwu

Ikenna Nwachukwu holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He loves to look at the world through multiple lenses- economic, political, religious and philosophical- and to write about what he observes in a witty, yet reflective style.


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