The obstacle to growing your business could be you, says Matt Levington of the Business Doctors – the answer also lies within
Getting a business off the ground takes hard work and determination, but many firms stumble at the hurdle of taking it to the next level. Believing only they can deliver service to the right standard, business owners restrict their own potential for success, or navigating the structure of employment and legislation binds them in mental red tape and prevents growth.
These are common scenarios, says Matt Levington, co-founder of the Business Doctors, an organisation which provides hands-on support to help business owners overcome these and other challenges to achieve growth. The group has now published a book, Breaking Big, which offers a step-by-step ‘boot camp for businesses’ to help more companies overcome the challenges that limit their growth.
“There is lots of really bad advice and numerous poor advisers out there,” says Levington. “It’s a common scenario that businesses looking to grow end up buying a package from a large firm that they don’t really need, or consulting a retired bank manager who pores over the figures but doesn’t offer any inspiration to move a company forwards.
“We’re not business gurus, but we’ve worked with a lot of companies and learnt a lot of stuff over the years – the answers to business growth and success are available from within.
“Even the most successful business owners sometimes fail to apply this knowledge as they are too close and emotionally attached to identify this. We are working with a successful electrical contractor with a small staff. The owner is a natural entrepreneur but he doesn’t know how to expand.
“The answer is to take a step back from the day-to-day of running the business and see the opportunities and options available to them. It’s true that every company needs a strategy, but that’s a scary word for most small business owners.
“Think of it this way – why are you doing what you do? Go back to the start of your business and reconnect with what motivated you in the first place. What was your desire or belief at the outset?
“Often the business overtakes owners, they lose their mojo as they are so worried about taking care of everything. They are the last to be paid, the last to leave the office and the company imprisons them. It’s a lonely place to be – they can’t talk to their partner or family in case they worry them, they think about the business all weekend, and even when they take a holiday, they’re checking their emails in case anything’s gone wrong. But it doesn’t have to be like that. They need to inspire their stakeholders, think about what they have achieved and where they want to take it.”
In Breaking Big, the Business Doctors have created a 10-step programme to help unlock the potential growth of small firms – Leverett believes it can take as little as one day to create a plan and build aspirations once again. “The ten steps deal with the symptoms facing many businesses,” he explains.
“The programme unlocks these with a series of questions – ‘what are your personal aspirations?‘ ‘How big does the business really need to be?’ We want people to ditch the dry, dusty business plan that is merely an exercise in raising finance, and set new corporate goals that will ultimately be their path to success.”
Visit thebestyoumagazine.co to read the Business Doctors’ three business scenarios to avoid.