Achieving success as an entrepreneur from scratch is not an easy task. It requires you to put forth your best efforts. But if you have already started to make profits, then it is high time to know how to scale a startup. Scaling allows you to enjoy exponential revenue growth without having to spend a fortune.
When to scale up a startup?
You need to know when your startup can go ahead for scaling up. Surveys conducted revealed that premature scaling caused by 74% of startups to fail. Moreover, premature startups tend to take 20 times more time to grow when compared to the ones that are scaled properly. The below mentioned 4 signs can help you to know the right time to scale up your startup.
- Enjoying strong cash flow
- Achieved goals that were set previously
- Highly motivated & result oriented team
- Functional IT systems
How To Scale a Startup
# Come up with an appropriate strategy
This is crucial & not necessarily a complicated one. It should include prospects, strengths & weaknesses of the startup. Set quarterly & yearly goals & objectives based on the information derived. Include information about market analysis & investors. You can consult others in the field who have achieved success.
# Outsource non-essentials
Big companies hire developers, designers, lawyers, copywriters & other staff. However, startup & small businesses can outsource their task to other companies that can accomplish it at minimum charges. If your business requires an app only, then there is no need to hire full-time developers & designers. Outsourcing also helps to reduce unnecessary expenses.
# Technology
Labor extensive aspects will be tough for startups to scale up fast. In today’s digital age, it is essential to streamline different processes possible. You can make use of several technological tools to increase productivity. The most important ones are the CRM system, Cloud Computing, ERP system, etc.
# Reputation
How to scale a startup & earn a reputation in the market. Branding is the solution to it. It is a must to enhance greater customer reach. You can design a site that will have valuable information about your business. It should also clearly state how your potential customers can benefit from your products/services. Site design needs to be trendy, eye-catching, easily navigable & informative. Otherwise, consider redesigning it. Also, use the right marketing strategy to make your site a powerful tool to gain new customers.
# Marketing
Although you may have implemented the above, your startup is not likely to grow without others knowing about its existence. Hence, before scaling up your startup, identify strategies to reach your targeted customers. Creating proper marketing strategies will help to develop an excellent client relationship. There are different forms of marketing like content marketing, direct marketing, influencer marketing, social media marketing, etc. You need to adopt the most appropriate forms that your budget allows to improve your brand.
# Hire good staff
As you scale up your business, you need to hire more people to manage your day-to-day operations. But do not hire in a rush as you may end up selecting the wrong people. Your staff should be experienced, knowledgeable about the domain, skilled & experts in their relevant fields. They should be honest, hard-working & target-oriented. Since you have just started your business & trying to scale it up, your staff needs to be cooperative & understanding. They also need to be multi-skilled & complete all assigned tasks on time & to your & customer satisfaction this is crucial for the success of any business, be it big or small. They should also be creative & come up with fresh & innovative ideas as well as solutions to diverse problems.
Thus, following the above tips on how to scale a startup will help your business to grow in leaps & bounds.
