4 reasons to love your company’s adolescence

Running a small business looks easy and fun when you look back from the slightly larger business going through growth pains. T^hat may or may not be the reality, but it's the way it feels when you have to start to behave as a grown up business dealing with things like policies, processes and people.  Especially people!

I remember one business leaders I know well saying how they loved the product and the loved the customers but now found they were having to do performance reviews and deal with people and wishing they were back in the good old days!

I'm sure that wasn't really the case, as became appraent further in the conversation when he could talk proudly about the blue chips names they had as customers and all the other consequences of being beyond small.  So I thought it might be worth reminding the operational business leaders reading of four points to keep in mind when things get tough, or justt annoying:

1. You can afford an interesting, smart leadership team.

Having really talented people next to you is like having playmates who are also your peers, and their ideas will stimulate your own. If you let them!

2. You have the cash flow to not sweat every little expense.

Don’t go crazy. But you can spend £50 to upgrade your seat on a flight so you’ll arrive at your meeting rested.

3. You have less risk of death from small mishaps.

If you have 10 employees and a key person leaves, you may be left struggling to meet your commitments. If you have only a handful of customers and lose one, then you may have to lay off someone. Scale relieves that constant anxiety.... a bit!

4. You can hire specialists.

When you and everyone with whom you work are jacks-of-all-trades, getting by was a painful necessity. It’s fun to watch quality rise once you can afford to hire a proper graphic artist or real business analyst.