Eight Guidelines For Growth

How to Stay Authentic and Still Grow

Small business owners often feel pressure to grow by being everything to everyone. But their size gives them the freedom to stay focused. It’s a principle I call positioning, and even though it means targeting a smaller segment of customers – you can still find sustainable growth while staying focused on what makes your business special. Here are eight guidelines to follow while staying true to these core strengths.

1. Double Down on Understanding Your Core Customers

Before chasing new markets, dig deeper into understanding your existing customers. What other challenges do they face? What additional needs could you meet? Create detailed profiles of your ideal customers, including:

• Their specific challenges and pain points
• What they value most about your business
• How they prefer to interact with you
• Other services or products they might need

The better you understand your core customers, the more opportunities you'll find to serve them better.

2. Build On Your Unique Value

Rather than trying to match competitors feature-for-feature, focus on enhancing what makes you different. Start by asking your current customers what they value most about your business. Their answers might surprise you – and will likely point to opportunities for growth that your competitors haven't considered.

Consider conducting a simple survey asking:

• How did you find our business?
• What made you choose us over alternatives?
• What aspects of our service matter most to you?
• What else could we offer that would be valuable to you?

3. Leverage Technology Thoughtfully

Growth doesn't mean losing the personal touch that makes small businesses special. Look for technology that enhances rather than replaces your customer relationships. Consider tools that help you:

• Stay in closer contact with customers
• Streamline routine tasks so you can focus on what matters
• Better understand and anticipate customer needs
• Make it easier for customers to work with you

The goal isn't to automate everything – it's to use technology in ways that strengthen your core business.

4. Create Multiple Touchpoints

Make it easy for your ideal customers to find and connect with you. This might include:

• An informative, easy-to-navigate website
• Active social media presence where your customers spend time
• Regular email communications with valuable content
• Participation in relevant community events

Focus your efforts on channels where your specific customers are most likely to engage, rather than trying to be everywhere at once.

5. Build Community Connections

Small businesses have a unique advantage in their ability to build genuine connections within their communities. Consider:

• Participating in local events that attract your ideal customers
• Partnering with complementary businesses that serve similar customers
• Supporting causes that matter to your community
• Creating opportunities for customers to connect with each other

These activities not only attract new customers but strengthen relationships with existing ones.

6. Plan for Sustainable Growth

Growth should strengthen, not strain, your business. This means:

• Having systems in place to maintain quality as you grow
• Training team members to deliver consistently excellent service
• Building financial reserves to handle unexpected challenges
• Growing at a pace that doesn't compromise what makes you special

Remember, sustainable growth is about building a stronger business, not just a bigger one.

7. Maintain Focus on Core Strengths

As you grow, stay focused on what you do best. This might mean:

• Saying no to opportunities that don't align with your strengths
• Investing in improving your key services rather than adding new ones
• Deepening expertise in your specific area rather than branching out
• Making sure new offerings complement rather than dilute your core business

8. Strengthen Your Identity

Growth should reinforce, not blur, what makes your business unique. Consider:

• Sharing stories that highlight your values and approach
• Creating experiences that only you can deliver
• Developing programs that reward customer loyalty
• Finding ways to make your business more memorable

The goal is to become more distinctly yourself, not more like everyone else.

Moving Forward

These growth strategies work best when they align with your specific situation. Pick one or two ideas that resonate most strongly with your business and start there. Focus on changes that will strengthen your relationships with core customers while staying true to what makes your business special.

Remember, the most sustainable growth comes not from trying to serve everyone, but from serving specific customers exceptionally well. By focusing your growth efforts on enhancing what makes your business unique, you can build something stronger and more resilient than if you tried to be everything to everyone.