Has anyone here ever had to expand their company's operations very quickly?

[Th1onein]

How did you do it? What were some of the steps that you took? How (and who, and why) did you move people up, or into, the upper slots, when the work expanded?

[GP6971]

1. Hard to answer

From my experience, it's done on the "fly". Align the most qualified people ( and those you can trust in the business environment) and go for it. Sorry..........that's the way it is today's environment

[Th1onein]

2. Damn.

I'm a careful, deliberative person, when it comes to business, anyway (not so much, otherwise). This is not going to be easy.

[Tumbulu]

3. I did 20 years ago.

I listened to and acted upon all the business advice I was given (I am a careful, deliberative person myself, as was my business partner) and being scientists, felt that we should follow their advice despite the fact that it seemed rather risky to us.

Well, guess what, it was! And the business people have different personalities altogether. They say things like "you should not run a big business until you have brought three companies through Chapter 11" or "if you are correct 40% of the time you are doing great!".

Well guess what, their advice sunk our company. I am still trying to get my business alive and running again, all these years later. And these business folk went onto the next hot thing. And we were crushed emotionally and financially.

Going forward I rarely borrow any money. I strive for less than 10% sales increases, certainly not increases by the 10 fold, etc. I advise careful growth.

My 2 cents, good luck to you! Keep a journal!

[Th1onein]

4. Thanks.

We just expanded, and I'm just now getting used to the larger company, and the increase in work, on the top level. I'm in a position where if I don't expand again, I will lose quality, but if I do expand again, I don't know who can fill some of the jobs that I am currently doing, and will not be able to do, if I expand again. So, if I do expand again, I will lose quality of work, but if I don't expand again, I will lose quality of work. The latter is a definite, but if I can get someone to handle some of my work, the former might not be a fait accompli.

[Tumbulu]

7. Good luck to you!

it sounds worth a try, and at least you are being careful about it, which is the best approach.

I am actually finally growing my business up again.

[Archaic]

5. Find the stuff you're doing that you don't need to do.

If there's something a contract firm can do just as well as you do, but for less, let them.

I hated corporate America. But one of the few things that came out of it that was useful was the understanding that you don't do everything.

Do you need to do your books?
Do you need to handle HR stuff/payroll?
Do you need to do your own IT work?
Do you need to...

If it's not your core competency, and it takes more than a negligible amount of time or brain power, then let it go.

Is there busy work that could be done by somebody else to free up the best folks to do what they're best at?

Hard to answer without knowing the industry. Hope that gets you thinking.

I worked in tech support at one point. All we did was look expensive. Until they got rid of us. And then customers lost the person they talk to more than their sales people. They got to talk to somebody who had no investment in the future of the company, or the happiness of the customer. So hold on to your contact with the customer. Don't let somebody represent you that has no incentive to keep representing you.

[Th1onein]

8. You make some very good points.

Thank you.

[mahina]

6. once it worked. Once it didn't.

Neither time did I understand the costs I was taking on. One time it worked great for 15 years. One time it almost closed us and destroyed a relationship that went back generations.

The first time we had great people I would trust with anything. The second time we had thieves.


What kind of business are you in?

If you're looking at commercial real estate, "Our tenants all do x $ per square foot annually" tranlation: One of their tenants did that one month.

[Th1onein]

9. I run a small "niche" company.

I don't feel comfortable giving that information out on the internet. We've been in business, though, for a long time, and because of what's going on in our industry right now, we are much in demand, and will be for some time to come. We have some competition, but they can't come close to us in terms of quantity and quality, so we're getting hit pretty hard. I want to use this time to gain customers, who will likely turn into long term customers, but I have to ramp up very quickly in order to do that.

And I am exhausted.

[Egalitarian Thug]

10. It's the major component of what I do and you have not put forth 1/100th of the information

required to give any meaningful advice.

[Th1onein]

11. WHAT is the "major component" of what you do?

Talk about not putting forth information.....WTF?

[Egalitarian Thug]

12. Helping companies to expand their operations (and show them where they're leaving money

lying around, and how to better manage their businesses). I did it for the Big Boys for a long time and hated helping them ruin this country and the lives of the people that made them big, so I quit and focused on small to micro businesses. Now, I'm done with anything that doesn't interest me personally, so feel free to ignore this completely.

You're asking for some specific, and very valuable, help/advice with no information. If all you're looking for is banal generalities, you'll get plenty and they're worth what you paid for them.

[Th1onein]

13. Why don't you PM me? I can't give specifics on a message board.