7 business growth challenges to anticipate and overcome

Business growth challenges become increasingly apparent as you bid to build your business.

Achieving consistent, sustainable growth is likely a fundamental goal for your business. Expansion can lead to all sorts of exciting opportunities for the company and new experiences for employees. But it’s important to prepare for obstacles that might arise on the path to success.

From keeping your loyal staff happy to maintaining efficiency in an increasingly complex organisation, here are some challenges your firm could encounter as it grows, and some tips to overcome them.

1. The demands of a growing workforce

Key to scaling your business, taking on new people helps with workload management and is vital to gain the skills your company needs as it evolves.

More employees means new challenges, however. It can increase the complexity of payroll admin, plus makes engaging individuals and meeting their specific needs more difficult.

On the positive side, there are effective solutions for these common business problems, such as automated payroll software and HR management systems that help deliver the best possible experiences for your people.

2. More diverse customer needs

Growing revenue means expanding your customer base, which means a more eclectic range of clients, all with their own unique needs and expectations.

To consistently meet customer demands, you need to really know what they want. This involves collecting and analysing as much client data as possible, as well as establishing strong customer relationships based on communication.

Healthy dialogue with your clients helps ensure you know what they need and how they feel about the services you provide.

3. Business intelligence requirements

As well as understanding your customers, it’s vital to have a strong grasp of the intricacies of your organisation and its people. This can become increasingly challenging as the company grows in size and complexity.

With the right practices, policies, and technologies in place, your firm can maximise its efficiency in gathering and analysing business intelligence. There are many software packages and solutions available to help you understand your developing business.

As your company continues to grow, focused business intelligence could be the key to maintaining productivity and efficiency.

4. Keeping the supply chain running

A healthy, functioning supply chain is the lifeblood of any firm’s day-to-day operations. Without it, it’s extremely difficult to meet the demands of your customers, especially as you take on more business.

So what’s the secret to ensuring your supply chain remains fit for purpose as your venture expands? To begin with, it’s vital to constantly look ahead with medium to long-term sales forecasts and prepare for how these projections could impact your supply chain.

It can also prove highly beneficial to maintain contact with a diverse network of suppliers, to ensure there’s always an alternative available if one partner is unable to deliver what you need.

5. New competitors

As you grow, you could find yourself entering markets and targeting customers that bring you into the orbit of new competitors.

Dealing with competition is a fundamental aspect of business, so it’s important for your long-term growth plans to include strategies to retain existing clients and acquire new ones, regardless of what your rivals are doing.

It’s important to always have one eye on your competitors, but equally crucial to maintain focus on what your business does well and how it can continue to satisfy customer expectations.

6. New compliance responsibilities

Another unavoidable by-product of growth is that your organisation’s compliance responsibilities will increase. Meeting existing rules and regulations could become more complicated as your firm and its workforce grows. And it’s also possible you’ll need to meet standards from which you were previously exempt.

For instance, Australian companies that expand into Europe may have to comply with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, creating a range of new compliance tasks.

As well as ensuring everyone in your workforce is aware of regulatory demands and their day-to-day application, it’s worth looking into dedicated business systems that can help you stay compliant with the latest legislation.

7. Keeping your culture intact

Amid all the excitement and potential of business growth, it can be easy to lose sight of what initially made your venture special and set you on the path to success.

An organisation’s culture is embodied and maintained by its people, so take every opportunity to engage your workforce, gauge people’s views on how the company is performing, and give something back to those who have contributed to your achievements so far.

With the cultural foundations that underpin your business intact, you can look to the future confident of achieving further growth and prosperity, whatever challenges arise.