Tweet

How to Limit Business Growth in 2011

Guest post by: Rebel Brown

Article Overview: Ask anyone about business focus and they'll begin talking about staying the course, sticking to the plan, 1, 3 and 5 year objectives. We keep focusing on that same profit margin (or lately, cash balance) as our goal - and miss opportunities for growth, investment and new markets along the way. That doesn't cut it in today's dynamic world.

How to Limit Business Growth in 2011

Change is a natural state.

Seasons change, weather changes, our bodies change. We change with age, with education, with experiences and with exercise, or lack thereof. Relationships change, people change, everything about our lives change.

Our markets and customers change continuously as well - just like everything else in our world.

As we plan for 2011 - ask yourself....

Why does 'business focus' usually translate to a static response?

Ask anyone about business focus and they'll begin talking about staying the course, sticking to the plan, 1, 3 and 5 year objectives. We keep focusing on that same profit margin (or lately, cash balance) as our goal - and miss opportunities for growth, investment and new markets along the way. That doesn't cut it in today's dynamic world.

Focus is defined as a central point of attraction, attention, or activity. Focus does not equate to hanging onto the status quo, the same perspective, the same plan no matter what.

Yet that's how we've come to exercise our business 'focus.' Stay the course, execute the plan, stick with it no matter what. Meet that margin objective, even as our financial underpinnings change. When we have an obvious crisis, we execute a Big Bang change and move to maintain our new focus, no matter what.

What if we focused on leveraging change in 2011?

Not change for the sake of change, but the changes required for continuous success. Why not focus on leveraging the changes all around us to accelerate our growth and success?

Think about it. Change doesn't have to be something to be avoided. Change can be our focus - a focus forward, a passion for evolving as needed for sustained success. Change offers the opportunity to evolve, to improve on our current Value, to take that Value into new Markets in new ways - to adapt and leverage the new opportunities emerging all around us - every day. Change empowers our businesses to thrive and move forward. Staying the Course keeps us stuck in the past.

So start to change today - the way you think about your value, the way you respond to your markets, the way you see your business. Change creates growth. Staying the Course - well, that leaves you stuck in the tarpit and sinking with the dinosaurs.

Related Articles
  Franchising Outlook Report Offers Further Proof 2011 is the Year to Become a Franchise Owner
  I Love Google's Style
  Leaders - Sometimes Their Own Worst Enemy
  Planning for 2011
  What is superannuation?
  2011 Business Growth Strategies #1: Think Different
  QuickBooks 2011: It's Here!
  How to set successful goals and New Year's resolutions
  QuickBooks 2011: Improvement to Closing Date Functionality
  As Era of \"Extend & Pretend\" Ends, More CRE Shopping Begins
  Definition of Business Insanity
  The Remarkable Growth of Social Media - an Infographic
  How Obama's tax credit helps/hurts IT spending
  Glimmers of Hope
  Asset Based Lending Canada - Why An ABL Working Capital Loan is Your 2011 Finance Solution
  Medical Practices Beware! Time is Running Out To Avoid Electronic Medical Records Stimulus Penalties!
  David Brooks’ Weirdest Sentences
  Watch Your Language - Medical Sales Training
  Sacramento Financial Advisor Keith Springer Quoted In Bloomberg Businessweek
  Franchise Trends for 2011

Article Tags: business focus, business growth, growth investment, profit margin



Related Forum Posts
My entry - 1. The Best Business Books Ever: The 100 Most Influential Business Books You'll Never Have Time to Read - this is a fascinating book about the history of Business theory, and I'd recommend it to anybody. 2. The Big Book of Small Business: You Don't Have to Run Your Business by the Seat of Your Pants, by Tom Gegax. Ditto. 3. PADI: The Business of Diving Book Okay, so this book won't be of use to anyone who doesn't want to start a scuba store, but I did, and this book was of course invaluable to me in reaching that goal.
Merry Christmas everyone! - I'm just waiting for my son to wake up to start our Christmas traditions and I wanted to drop a quick note here to thank everyone for your support of the forums. We've have an exciting year and hopefully we can reach and help even more entrepreneurs in 2011! I hope you enjoy your families and have a fantastic holiday break... and then get ready to kick some butt with your business in 2011! Merry Christmas everyone!
Re: Did you meet your goals in 2010? - Hey Yinka, I met some of my goals, but I didn't meet others. One of my goals was to get out of debt. I managed to do so, only to get back into debt due to an unforeseen circumstance. Business-wise, I didn't quite reach the goals I had; although, I came much closer than I did back in 2009. At least it was an improvement, and I expect to reach my goals for 2011. Best wishes for you, and I hope you can reach all the goals you set.
Exclusive: Interview with Results - Hi Forum Members, I'm helping start up a Business Coaching and Consulting company here in Toronto, Ontario, Canada (a Subsidiary of RSC Business in Los Angeles). As a Research and Development Intern I am required to practice my listening and interview skills by surveying Small and Medium Businesses on thier Business. This Survey is designed by RSC Business to also assist the Business being interviewed more insight into their own business. I am looking to interview about 30 businesses across North America over the span of 3 months. At the end of these interviews I will be publishing a report of the results and they will be made available for free to the Interviewees. The Report data will include responses from a minimum of 100 interviews. I would like to extend this opportunity to members of the Forum. If you would like to have this short 20-30 minute interview conducted on your Business and you reside in North America please send me an email or PM. Please contact me at andy[at]jvprosperity[dot]com to arrange our interview and to get free access to the results when they are published.
Re: HOw to market a B2B consulting company - [quote="zohahunt77":428owzbi]Hi, I was wondering if anyone can tell me the difference between B2B and B2C. I don’t know about b2b marketing but I have done marketing so know things about it. I will suggest you to take online services which will spread your business all over web network. Online marketing is the best way to market any business.[/quote:428owzbi] B2B = Business to Business - You are marketing to other businesses. B2C = Business to Consumer - You are marketing to consumers.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Setting Goals for your Home Based Business

Unharnessing Creativity in Business

Tips for the Novice Traveler

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.