Stay Flexible to Grow Strong

Now that you've built it -- your small business -- they are coming. More customers, more orders, more profits.

Growth is good, but if it's not managed properly, it can overwhelm your company. How should an owner adjust?

Bob Gold, founder of mobile software applications firm Gold Mobile and a number of small businesses, believes that typically a shoemaker doesn't make a good business owner.

"We aren't actually taught to think about job functions. Most small-business owners are experts in the product and then [they decide] to start a business. However, a successful business is process-driven, not function-driven," says Gold.

As a small-business owner, it's imperative to balance products, sales, marketing, operations and delivery. If these different roles are out of sync within a company, it's often not as profitable as it can be and can quickly burn through revenue.

Many businesses, to spur growth, invest heavily in marketing but may not be able to meet increased demand; alternately, some businesses spend much time and money perfecting a product but not enough on marketing. "In general, product-driven companies are less successful than market-driven companies," Gold adds.

"It's a continuous rebalancing process," says Gold. Owners don't have the luxury of doing one job, especially as the business grows.

A reevaluation of your business plan, considering the current environment, is helpful. Ask what does the market want, what do your consumers want and what are the competitors doing? The answers will guide any product or service reworking that needs to be done.

Adding to Your Team

Likewise, your employees will need to be evaluated as well -- the people who help you start a business are not necessarily the best ones to promote strong growth.