The American dream: two cars in every garage, a chicken in every pot, and a business that grows and grows and grows. But sometimes I wonder if when it comes to owning a business, is bigger always better? Here are a few things to keep in mind to decide if bigger is better for you:
Can you let go?
If you want the company to continue to grow, at some point you need to accept that you can’t do it all yourself and you can not be involved in every project and every decision. To grow, you need to get comfortable with delegating tasks and trusting others to finish projects without your input. When you delegate, you have to be comfortable letting others make decisions and willing to support whatever decisions they make.
Seven employees is typically considered the maximum span of control for a manager. As the company grows beyond six or seven people, you will need to start promoting people into supervisory roles or hiring managers for those roles. This is often a tough change for everyone. Great individual contributors do not always have the skill or desire to be managers.
Do You Want the Headaches?
As the team grows so does the administration, taxes and paperwork required to complete your payroll every month. Attracting employees for more senior positions requires that you offer a more comprehensive benefit package. Comprehensive compensation plans including vacations, health insurance, incentive and retirement plans may not be necessary in a small startups staffed with recent college graduates. However, if you hope to build a seasoned team which you can rely on to take over some of the management of your company, these elements are not optional and come with a whole new layer of administrative tasks.
And in 2014, if you cross the 50 person milestone, you will be required to provide some type of insurance benefit.
Do You Want to Change?
In addition to staff adjustments, there is an adjustment for you as the owner. As the company grows, you will find yourself doing more coaching and administrative tasks and moving further and further away from what you went in to business to do. If you don’t like the change, find a way to increase the profit you make as a smaller team. Raise your prices and be more selective about who you bring on as a client.
Some people dream of the big company with the large staff and prestigious office. Others simply want a profitable business they enjoy, which affords them the lifestyle they want. There isn’t anything wrong with either approach. Just decide which type of business you want and put the plans in place to get there.
Not sure how to get the business you want? Our free resources may help you start building the foundation.