The Small Business Bible: Everything You Need to Know to Succeed in Your Small Business, 3rd Edition

Chapter 52

Small to Big

You will either step forward into growth or you will step back into safety.

—Abraham Maslow

Business and growth go together: the stock market is a daily reminder of which businesses are growing and which are not. The business section of the newspaper analyzes it, television shows debate it, and websites obsess over it. This is as true for small business as it is for big business. We are all supposed to want to grow our businesses—from wherever they are to whatever is the next level.

But not all small businesses want to grow. Many are content to stay just where they are, happy in the knowledge that they've got a good gig going. And there is nothing wrong with that. If this describes you, then skip this chapter, because this is the place where we look at the traits necessary to take a business from one level to the next. Whether it is taking your one-person business to a five-person business or going from $1 million to $5 million in sales, let's see what it takes to grow from small to big.

First, a Caveat

Growth is all well and good, if you want it and if you are ready to grow. Reluctance is understandable. Growing pains are real. Taking your business to the next level will require new people and systems, new ideas and expenditures, some strategy, and maybe a bit of luck. You just need to be sure that you are ready for both the joys and the pains that you will encounter along the way.

Example: Several times in this book, I have mentioned my favorite entrepreneur, ...