There are some business principles that are so obvious they couldn’t help but stand the test of time. For example – don’t insult your customers on a regular basis. But advice like this is so clear and apparent that we wonder if those who need to be told it are really going to have a successful operation no matter what is said.
Of much more interest is business advice which can scale up and down as appropriate. For example, while your local cafe frequented by contractors and tradespeople may seem like a different enterprise to an international airline, it’s wise to tell both to source safe, capable and reliable supplies to help operate their firm, be that healthy, well-sourced ingredients for a morning breakfast, or the best airport infrastructure supplies from Pilot John International, the principle here is the same.
So what business advice is most scaleable, and how should it grow as a company expands? Let’s discuss that below:
Reputational Management
For a small business, a couple of bad reviews can really hurt if you’re just starting out. Bigger companies can’t escape this kind of scrutiny either, even if general averages mean one scatching review does little to really harm them. That might be dealing with PR disasters that affect their stock prices, or considering the actual source of the reviews – for instance if you and I write a bad review of an airline that’s one thing, but what about an A-list celebrity? Personal interference also changes to outsourced help, where public relations firms become key. The stakes are higher, but the core idea is the same: protect that reputation like it’s gold.
Standards & Evolving Principles
Of course, when you first start out, you’ll probably set some basic standards to keep things running well. Perhaps you focus on how clean your café is, or you make sure every customer gets greeted with a smile, as these standards are important for laying the groundwork of who you are and what you value.
But as your business grows, those standards need to evolve. What worked for a team of five might not be too applicable when you have 50 employees – instead of just hiring nice people with good backgrounds you may need to fully vet and have a stringent code of conduct in place to ensure no friction is felt. As such, as you grow, codifying good practice is essential.
Knowing When To Restrain Your Vision
There’s a lot of visionary confidence that comes when you’re new, plucky, and willing to earn your place in your market. While it might run counter to that attitude, sometimes, the best move is to hold back. This is a lesson that applies to any business, no matter the size, and it’s good to learn it now while resources are limited. That means constantly reviewing your volume and how many clients you can serve. You need only see the great example of how airlines often overbook their planes to see how this needs to be correctly measured even as you grow. If you can learn that hard lesson now, you can prevent the proverbial “business eyes bigger than stomach” issue.
With this advice, you’ll be certain to apply robust guidance no matter how large your company is.
