1. React to “No”<\/strong><\/p>\nBusiness founders usually share a common experience: At some point someone told them “no,” and they didn’t like it. So\u00a0they turned that “no”\u00a0into a new company or market-changing product. “No” became an action point rather than a full stop. In my case, it became the idea of the anti-agency: a no-nonsense agency dedicated to using innovative user experiences and disruptive design thinking. Today, I always pay attention to and investigate the possibilities of “no.”<\/p>\n
Back to growth: It\u2019s good, right? But what if the answer is\u00a0no?<\/em>\u00a0When I considered whether or not\u00a0my business should continue growing like last year, I thought about the impact to my clients, my employees and myself. Considering this “no” response\u00a0sparked a divergent thought about slowing growth to develop a new line of workshops and enable myself\u00a0to write a book. We are now acting on these ideas, which will catalyze future growth.<\/p>\nReact to “no.” It often hints at your next action.<\/p>\n
2. Grow Smarter<\/strong><\/p>\nGrowth is a devious metric, sometimes friend and sometimes foe. We\u2019ve doubled our workforce in the last 18 months, but I\u2019m still conservative about growth. One way to grow smartly is to hire contractors first, converting them to full-time employees as business needs dictate. This model scales and provides the opportunity to gradually consider someone as a full-time hire. But the real secret for me has been to grow when a) I meet someone that gets our brand and can contribute to its enhancement, and b) when a project\/client comes along that is too great — nice people, cool work, huge impact — to pass up.<\/p>\n
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3. Keep Operations\u00a0Sharp<\/strong><\/p>\nYou need an experienced operations team responsible for establishing and enforcing protocols. This is the trusted team that knows practically\u00a0if you can hire people and triple office space without going bust. Human resources and operations are realities, so don\u2019t be\u00a0too busy dreaming and ignoring business basics.<\/p>\n
Then, there is your\u00a0special ops team. These individuals are special because they do their jobs so well that they don\u2019t need much supervision. I stand back so they can go forth and lead, build, etc. — which is what I love the most. This trust also saves time and money. I\u2019m notorious for following my gut on everything from the employees we hire to the clients we take on to the customers we fire; therefore, I need a team to consult\u00a0and<\/em>\u00a0cover my back. The special ops team quickly reacts to course changes, getting done whatever needs to be done and doing it well.<\/p>\n4. Empower Employees<\/strong><\/p>\nSpeaking of business basics, an\u00a0employee handbook is also a necessity. It covers the legal stuff without being too formal or boring. Your handbook should be written as an insider\u2019s guide to how you and your company work. Our employees must read this guide first, which starts with our Rule #1:\u00a0\u201cUse your best judgment: This company is about innovating — not the buzzword — but real innovation. When given a task, try it using your best judgment, not what you think you should do, but what feels right to you. Be different so you can think different. You were hired because somewhere in the interview process, you demonstrated you could.\u201d<\/p>\n
This rule\u00a0empowers employees to draw on their skills and instincts rather than worrying about \u201cthe right way\u201d to do their job. Build confidence through a mentoring program: pair new employees with seasoned ones to give them on-the-job training. Sink or swim isn\u2019t a best practice to follow if you want to grow\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>survive.<\/p>\nTo best position your company for survival and growth even if the odds are daunting, react to being told no, grow smarter, keep your operations\u00a0sharp and empower your employees. Running a business isn\u2019t always fun, so focus on what you can control — your choices — and choose to enjoy and learn from them. The most terrifying, or costly, thing would be to have regrets and think of things you could\u00a0have done differently when\u00a0you look back.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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