Dr Jeff Cornwall

Growth puts strains on all aspects of an entrepreneurial business. Hiring more staff, expanding the resources necessary to support new customers, managing cash flow, building new systems to support your business, and so forth all take time and attention. If you do not get these issues taken care of properly, your business can suffer or even fail.
But, growth also creates personal challenges for the entrepreneur. Here are some of the more common issues that entrepreneurs wrestle with as their business grows:
– Delegation: Your “baby” is now a “teenager” ready for more independence
Letting go is tough for most of us. We have been with our business all the way through its growth, through the good and the bad times. But at some point, if we want our business to grow successfully, we have to begin to delegate. At first it will seem that no one can do what you do as well as you can. But just like raising a teenager, at some point you have to begin to let go so they can learn and grow up. Your business will go through this same difficult transition. If you don’t begin to let go, you business may never successfully move into its next stage of development.
– “My company just isn’t the same as it used to be”
With each person we hire, our culture can change just a little bit. And over time, this can lead to a business that does not look like we had intended or envisioned. One area that you must keep control of is your culture. Your values shaped the culture of your business as it began, but to maintain that culture you must actively manage it. You do this by who you hire, what you reward, what you celebrate, the structure you create for the business, your communication, etc., etc. Be deliberate about the culture you intend and think about how each action you take over time can effect this culture.
– “So just what is a CEO supposed to do, anyway?”
For many entrepreneurs, this may be their first time as a CEO. That title means very little in the early days, but as the company grows it takes on more meaning. Defining your role and your style as the CEO of your company takes planning and specific effort on your part. It may even feel a bit awkward at some point, but you have to establish what your role will be as the CEO. Play to your strengths.
– The Fear of the Unknown: Moving from hands-on to strategic
Many entrepreneurs start their businesses because they like the hands-on part of their business. Engineers like to engineer. Furniture makers like to build stuff. As some point in the growth of the business, the entrepreneur begins to move away from the hands-on part of what they company does. This can be a painful and frustrating period. Keep this in mind when you decide how far you want to grow the business. It is OK to keep it at a size that allows you to stay in the hands-on part of what you do.
– “How come everyone keeps forgetting this is still my company (sometimes, including me)?”
I remember how at some point it seemed that I was chasing everyone else’s goals for our business. Our banker, our CPA, our attorney, fellow entrepreneurs, our managers all seemed to have their own vision for what we could become and ideas for where we could take the business. Some of these folks wanted us to take our business public. That is not where I wanted to go, but I felt the pressure to look seriously in that direction. Even though it possibly cost me some money, I am so glad that I ultimately listened to my own aspirations. I would have been very unhappy running a public company. Remember: it is your business!