Clearing the Hurdles: Women Building High-Growth Businesses

CHAPTER 7•GROWTH ORIENTATION AND STRATEGIES 159

advantage that is not easily copied. Unique advantages are those pro-

tected by copyrights, patents, or hard-to-replicate learning and prac-

tices. As the business grows, it will seek innovation and change, move

into markets quickly, and expand into business sectors that are growing

and innovative. Fourth, your experience, expertise, and personal lead-

ership capabilities must be outstanding.

For instance, telecommunications and bioengineering are exam-

ples of industry sectors that reflect these characteristics. The entrepre-

neur’s strategy would reflect a strong personal desire to grow the

venture, a motivation to devote significant time and energy to make the

business succeed, and the willingness to give up ownership control to

exit the venture and move on at the appropriate time.

Kim Polese cofounded Marimba Software, a venture that devel-

ops, supports, and configures software. She followed an ambitious

strategy. Marimba, which popularized Sun's Java computer program-

ming language, allowing software developers to write their programs,

created packages to serve Fortune 100 customers as well as many mul-

tinationals around the globe. Polese had personal expertise and experi-

ence in software, as well as high hopes for its success. "I'm the kind of

person who needs to be in a wild, seat-of-the-pants-type organization,"

Polese says.

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Deliberate Strategy

A deliberate strategy is for women who have adequate or significant

resources, but often have lower capabilities or goals. For instance, you

might have top-quality employees, up-to-date facilities, and adequate

cash, but maybe you just want to keep the business manageable, rather

than beyond your control. On the other hand, you might have high

aspirations and adequate resources, but perhaps you need to develop

your management and leadership skills. Either way, you would follow

a deliberate, well-thought-out, and incremental approach to growth.