7 Stages of Growth

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Navigating the Growth Curve

Navigating the Growth Curve by James Fischer

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7 Stages of Growth

Introduction to the 7 Stages of Enterprise Growth

The 7 Stages of Growth is a comprehensive business growth system based on principles inherent in Nature. It gives you the tools to diagnose, predict and solve the challenges common to growing companies.

The 7 Stages of Growth system unlocks the secrets of enterprise growth in four key ways: 1) by illuminating the role that a single human being (i.e., each employee) plays in determining the complexity of the organization at each stage of growth; 2) by defining and explaining the transition zones between each stage of growth; 3) by revealing the non-negotiable rules of growth at each stage; and 4) by uncovering the patterns of group behavior and organizational performance at each stage of growth.

Over the last 20 years the professionals at Growth Curve Institute have been conducting an ongoing national research study to understand and decipher the patterns, the behavior and the characteristics of growth in small- to mid-size enterprises.

At Growth Curve Institute, we have been intrigued by how some companies are able to successfully navigate the severe challenges associated with growing an enterprise—while others are not. Thru our research we discovered a unique phenomenon present in all companies that we have named the Growth Curve.

The Growth Curve is the natural and ideal path that a company takes as it navigates the increasing complexity associated with each stage of growth. When we say that we want to Navigate the Growth Curve, what we are really saying is that we want to navigate our organization through both the chaos and the equilibrium associated growing organizations. A company that successfully navigates the Growth Curve is a sustainable company.

The 7 Stages of Enterprise Growth

Note: The 7 Stages of Growth are also applicable, with minor adjustments, to the stages of growth in a department or division within a larger enterprise.

As Growth Curve Institute’s research focused on hundreds of growing companies on the Front Range of Colorado, Silicon Valley and other dynamic business zones throughout our country, it became apparent that successful enterprise growth leaders always rise to the top because they are deeply committed to being:

1.Accountable to increasing their awareness of how they impact their organization’s behavior and performance

2.Adaptable to increasing their awareness of exactly what their organization needs from them as its leader

Frankly, most companies we encountered were operating in a state of “figuring it out as you go.” Unless the owner or CEO had years of experience growing companies, our research showed that without a clear model for understanding growth most small- to mid-size business owners don’t have the level of predictability necessary to survive the game. And even if one has been down the road before, each new venture produces its own patterns and personality that create unique challenges very likely not seen before by the operator.

When we look at an organization as a living, breathing entity rather than a machine with replaceable parts, we treat it differently. The rules of how that business entity grows are different from what we had assumed them to be when viewed from a classical industrial viewpoint.

There are Three Primary Benefits of understanding your company based on the 7 Stages of Growth system: :

1. You are better able to adapt yourself and your organization to the vagaries of change and chaos in our rapidly changing economic landscape

2. You are better able to laser focus the resources (people, money, time and attention) of the company on the correct goals and strategies

3. You are better able to effectively diagnose and predict enterprise behavior well in advance of critical decisions that need to be made

To create a sustainable, thriving enterprise takes time, patience and planning. And it takes knowing how to navigate the various stages of enterprise growth.

Successful Growth Companies are companies that continue to grow amidst the powerful, chaotic forces of expansion and change. They are light, agile and intelligent entities that have overthrown the old model of “business as machine” and have flourished because they value growth—growing people, growing processes and growing revenue/profit. If you aspire to lead a successful and sustainable growth company, then it would behoove you to explore the 7 Stages of Growth system as presented by Growth Curve Institute.

Click here to Download The 7 Stages of Enterprise Growth booklet

Here is what you will learn:

●What stage of growth you are in based on the number of employees

●What your Top 5 challenges are and how your current challenges line up against the Top 5 challenges for your stage of growth

●What your Business Gate of Focus is today and what it should be in order to help you focus your resources on the right things at the right time

●How to identify “transition zones” and how to prepare for them when moving on to another stage of growth

●Why some companies move through “speeds of growth” and how understanding this phenomenon can help you become more efficient and effective

●What your Builder/Protector Ratio is and how to align it with your stage of growth

●Plus much more

Click here to Download The 7 Stages of Enterprise Growth booklet

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