what growing bigger really means: defining growth on your own terms

what are we really talking about when we say “growth”?

you’ve probably heard this a hundred times: “let’s scale.”

but what does that really mean?

are we talking headcount? revenue? market share? maybe all three?

here’s the truth—“bigger” looks different depending on where you are and what you’re building.

the confusion around “growth”

for some, it’s more zeros on the balance sheet. for others, it’s stronger teams, tighter operations, or just finally getting your arms around chaos.

the key? defining what “bigger” means for you, right now.

what growth might mean to you

the insight: these dimensions don’t all move together—and shouldn’t. strategic growth means being intentional about which matter most for your business right now.

where you might get stuck: three critical tensions

1. go wide or go deep?

do you launch new services and chase more customers—or double down on what’s already working and make it airtight?

the go wide approach:

• launch new product lines or service offerings
• target new customer segments or markets
• diversify revenue streams
• create multiple growth engines

advantages:

• reduces dependence on single offering or market
• creates resilience through diversification
• captures more market opportunities
• enables learning across different contexts

risks:

• dilutes focus and resources
• spreads expertise thin
• increases operational complexity
• slows execution in all areas

the go deep approach:

• perfect your core offering
• dominate your current market segment
• build unassailable competitive position
• create operational excellence

advantages:

• builds defensible competitive advantages
• creates expertise depth and reputation
• enables economies of scale
• simplifies operations and reduces complexity

risks:

• vulnerability to market changes
• over-dependence on single revenue stream
• missed opportunities in adjacent markets
• potential market saturation

the strategic framework: when to go wide vs. deep

go deep when:

• your core offering isn’t yet best-in-class
• you haven’t fully captured available market share
• operational processes still have significant inefficiencies
• you’re still learning what truly creates value for customers
• resources are constrained and focus matters

consider going wide when:

• you’ve achieved market leadership in core offering
• core market is saturated or commoditizing
• you have operational excellence that can extend to new offerings
• adjacent opportunities leverage existing capabilities
• you have resources to support multiple initiatives

2. build internally or bring in help?

you’ve got momentum, but do you push forward with your current team, or get external support?

tough call, right?

building internally:

advantages:

• deep institutional knowledge and context
• cultural alignment and shared values
• long-term capability building
• control and ownership

challenges:

• time required to develop expertise
• limited external perspective
• potential blind spots from internal focus
• opportunity cost of learning vs. executing

bringing in external help:

advantages:

• immediate expertise and experience
• fresh perspective and best practices
• faster execution on specialized needs
• flexibility to scale up or down

challenges:

• knowledge transfer and retention
• cultural fit and integration
• ongoing cost considerations
• potential dependency on external resources

the hybrid approach: fractional + internal

the winning combination:

• bring in fractional experts to establish capability
• they build frameworks and train internal team
• internal team takes ownership as they mature
• fractional resources phase out, leaving capability behind

example: hire fractional CFO to establish financial processes and develop internal finance lead over 12-18 months. CFO phases out as internal person grows into the role.

3. more revenue or more margin?

growth that looks good on paper can be a nightmare behind the scenes.

the real win? making more while stressing less.

the revenue growth trap:

£5M revenue at 5% margin = £250K profit vs. £3M revenue at 20% margin = £600K profit

which business is healthier?

revenue-focused growth:

• impressive top-line numbers
• potentially high stress and complexity
• thin margins leave no room for error
• vulnerable to cost increases or price pressure

margin-focused growth:

• sustainable profitability
• resilience and options during downturns
• resources to invest in improvement
• less stress, more strategic freedom

finding the balance

the strategic question isn’t revenue vs. margin—it’s:

• what margin do we need to be sustainable and investable?
• what revenue do we need to achieve market position goals?
• how do we grow both without sacrificing quality or sanity?

approaches that work:

• increase prices to improve margin while maintaining quality
• focus on higher-value customer segments
• eliminate unprofitable services or customer segments
• improve operational efficiency to protect margin while growing revenue
• invest in automation to reduce cost-per-transaction as volume grows

real strategies that actually work

here’s what we’ve seen time and time again with companies that manage to scale without losing their minds:

1. get clear on what’s actually working

audit your processes, your people, your product. what’s bringing real value? what’s just noise?

the strategic audit framework:

what to examine:

• which products/services generate most profit?
• which customers are most valuable (profit + ease)?
• which processes enable vs. constrain growth?
• which team members are force multipliers vs. bottlenecks?
• which investments deliver ROI vs. just cost money?

questions to ask:

• if we could only keep three offerings, which would they be?
• which 20% of customers create 80% of value?
• which processes, if perfected, would transform operations?
• what are we doing just because “we’ve always done it”?

2. build systems that don’t break when you blink

document, automate, and measure. chaos doesn’t scale—clarity does.

the systematization journey:

level 1: ad-hoc chaos

• everything lives in people’s heads
• processes vary by who does them
• quality is inconsistent
• training new people is painful

level 2: documented processes

• core processes written down
• basic consistency emerging
• onboarding easier but still manual
• processes still dependent on key people

level 3: systematized operations

• documented and trained processes
• automation for routine work
• metrics showing performance
• quality consistent regardless of who executes

level 4: optimized systems

• continuous improvement built in
• data-driven decision making
• scalable without proportional headcount growth
• competitive advantage through operational excellence

where should you aim? level 3 is usually the sweet spot for growing mid-sized companies. level 4 is aspirational but requires significant investment.

3. let your team step up

empower leaders. share ownership. growth shouldn’t ride on your back alone.

the delegation framework:

what founders often hold:

• all client relationships
• all strategic decisions
• all financial decisions
• all hiring decisions
• all crisis management

the problem: you become the bottleneck. the business can’t grow beyond your personal capacity.

strategic delegation:

phase 1: delegate execution, retain decision-making

• team executes your decisions
• you review and approve
• you’re still heavily involved

phase 2: delegate decisions within frameworks

• establish decision criteria
• team makes decisions within parameters
• you review outcomes, not every decision

phase 3: delegate accountability for outcomes

• team owns entire domain
• you set objectives and metrics
• they determine how to achieve them
• you coach and course-correct as needed

4. define growth in terms of impact

more customers don’t always mean better business. focus on the ones who stick around, pay on time, and refer others.

the customer quality framework:

low-quality growth:

• many customers, low retention
• high acquisition cost, low lifetime value
• price-sensitive buyers demanding constant discounts
• operational drain from high-maintenance relationships

high-quality growth:

• fewer customers, high retention
• reasonable acquisition cost, high lifetime value
• value-focused buyers willing to pay for excellence
• mutually beneficial relationships that compound over time

how to shift toward quality:

• increase prices to filter out price shoppers
• focus marketing on ideal customer profile
• say no to customers outside your sweet spot
• invest more in serving existing great customers
• build referral systems around your best relationships

before you chase “more,” ask this

are we growing for the right reasons—or because everyone says we should?

good reasons to grow:

• market opportunity you’re uniquely positioned to capture
• mission or impact you’re trying to maximize
• financial requirements to sustain and invest
• team development and career path creation
• competitive dynamics requiring scale

bad reasons to grow:

• ego or status (“we’re a £10M company now”)
• investor or board pressure without strategic rationale
• comparison to competitors (“they’re bigger”)
• avoiding hard questions about profitability or efficiency
• distraction from harder work of fixing what’s broken

are we building a business that’s fast or one that’s strong?

fast growth characteristics:

• prioritize revenue growth above all
• high burn rate, raised capital
• move quickly, fix problems later
• scale first, optimize eventually

strong growth characteristics:

• prioritize sustainable unit economics
• controlled burn, self-funded or profitable
• build solid foundations before scaling
• systematize first, scale what works

neither is inherently right or wrong—but know which you’re building:

fast makes sense when:

• market window is closing
• winner-take-all dynamics
• capital is available and cheap
• you have plan for eventual profitability

strong makes sense when:

• sustainable market opportunity
• profitability matters more than market share
• capital is constrained or expensive
• you value control and long-term building

what’s the real cost of saying yes to this next move?

every growth decision has costs beyond the obvious financial investment.

hidden costs to consider:

opportunity cost:

• what else could you do with these resources?
• what are you NOT pursuing if you say yes to this?
• what strategic options does this close off?

complexity cost:

• how much operational complexity does this add?
• how much management attention does this require?
• how much does this complicate decision-making?

risk cost:

• what could go wrong?
• how much does this increase organizational fragility?
• what does failure or mediocre success cost?

cultural cost:

• how does this affect team morale and focus?
• does this align with company values?
• will this attract or repel the people you want?

the bottom line: growth on your terms

when you define “bigger” on your own terms, you stop chasing and start leading.

and that’s where the real magic happens.

strategic growth means:

• clarity on which dimensions of growth matter most for your specific business
• intentional choices about wide vs. deep, internal vs. external, revenue vs. margin
• systematic operations that can scale without constant heroics
• empowered teams that multiply your impact instead of depending on you
• focus on high-quality customers and relationships that compound value
• honest assessment of costs and trade-offs, not just upside potential

most importantly, strategic growth means:

knowing when to say yes to growth opportunities—and when to say no.

knowing when to push harder—and when to consolidate and strengthen.

knowing when to go fast—and when to build strong.

reflection questions

before your next growth decision, consider:

1. what does “bigger” mean for our business in the next 12 months?

   • which growth dimension matters most?
   • what does success look like specifically?

2. are we growing from strength or running from weakness?

   • are we scaling what works?
   • or avoiding fixing what’s broken?

3. do we have the operational foundation to support this growth?

   • can our systems handle it?
   • do we have the team and processes?

4. what are we willing to sacrifice or delay to pursue this?

   • what’s the opportunity cost?
   • what are we saying no to?

5. will this make the business stronger or just bigger?

   • does this improve unit economics?
   • does this build competitive advantage?

what’s next

if you’re thinking about growth but aren’t sure which direction to pursue:

start with clarity:

• define what “bigger” means for your specific business
• identify which growth dimension creates most strategic value
• assess your current foundation honestly

then choose your path:

• deep before wide (usually)
• strong before fast (often)
• quality before quantity (always)

and remember:

growth isn’t good or bad—it’s just a tool for achieving your objectives.

the question isn’t “should we grow?”—it’s “what are we growing toward, and why?”

answer that clearly, and the how becomes much simpler.

ready to define what strategic growth means for your business and build the foundation to achieve it? let’s chat about clarifying your growth strategy.