Out my window, I can see Iowa farmers harvesting barley.
It’s an incredible sight.
First, there is a drought in the western part of Iowa which causes massive dust to follow the tractors and machinery everywhere. Sometimes it’s hard to even distinguish the equipment in all the dust.
The crew consists of four men, each of whom knows exactly what their jobs are.
Watching these huge tractors piloted by tiny (by comparison to the tractors) men, and the attached implements moving so effortlessly, is mesmerising. It’s an art form played out in these huge fields.
One of my VIP clients is going through a huge growth spurt in his business.
The actual number to date is a growth rate of 15%, and he still has another week to go!
Now he has a new challenge which is a shortage of staff to manage the influx of new business.
Now he knows how many new members he can handle a month.
Let’s change that number.
The solution is to go back to the drawing board and start marketing, this time to attract new staff. (This is a separate topic for another edition of this email).
For right now the challenge is manageable with some creativity.
However, things will be more challenging next month as his proven marketing strategy and tactics are continuing for the foreseeable future, or until he reaches a pre-determined level of business, his goal.
To be completely transparent, it has taken a few months to get his marketing systems in place. That always happens with a good, sustainable strategy.
Growth is good and teaches us lessons.
Applying the lessons and achieving sustainable growth is the best.
As the results are being realized and new people are signing up at record numbers, opportunities to improve his systems are becoming apparent.
His first challenge is, as noted above, to prepare his team for massive growth.
Run the numbers out. Fifteen percent per month over just a short few months double your business, in roughly six months!!
This means a huge increase in service and the associated costs. These costs are incurred a few weeks before the business actually sees an increase in revenue.
It’s a growth trap for those not prepared.
The solution is to know and understand your organization’s capacity to handle rapid growth. Then grow to that level in a carefully orchestrated plan.
It’s important to note, that there is no one size fits all. Every business will have a slightly different solution to this problem.
The trick is to turn the problem into an opportunity through careful and proactive planning.
Want to talk about your situation. Next week is a short week, but I have a few openings. Check the link below to see if there is still a spot available.
Remember, you only get results when you take immediate action on your ideas.
