 We are always reminding our entrepreneurial clients to focus on what they can control. Easier said than done. Business owners tend to overcompensate when it comes to being in control, and fixate on what is outside of their control, resulting in no traction for the business. External volatilities (economy, regulation, supply chains, increased competition, etc.) often get the headspace and the focus. Internal volatilities can be more undermining, limiting growth or the ability to scale at all.
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 Every day decisions must be made in business. What sets growth companies apart from the rest of the pack is grounded in leaders having the ability to make momentum-building decisions, using both emotion and logic appropriately. How momentum building are your decisions in growing your company?
What we have found is there is clear delineation for when logic is key, emotions are key and when both must be balanced in decision-making.  Being an agile, quick-on-your-feet business owner is why you are still able to conduct business amidst economic uncertainty, competitive pressures, global innovation, and the list goes on. The ability to flex and adapt is what has always made America’s entrepreneurs the foundation of economic recovery. Just as important as your agility is your capability in knowing what is in the best interests of your customer to the point of inflexibility. What … you might be asking? Inflexibility?
 Too many business owners are stuck in an expense-focused mindset instead of being investment-focused. An expense-focused mindset is a mindset of lack and survival. Certain expenses may be viewed as a cost of doing business or unavoidable and just what is necessary to operate. It is like not valuing your people’s time shared in my Forbes article “Why Everyone’s Time in Business Matters.” Every dollar you spend in your business should reap some form of return on your investment. Every. Single. Dollar.
 Quality referrals are golden to any business. Understanding the strategy necessary for garnering unending referrals is where most businesses fall short. Typically, our BizGrowth 5.0 provides five key success factors on the topic. In this bonus edition, we bring you 12 key success factors to consider for building an endless flow of referrals into your company that convert to loyal customers.
 This year marks 40 years working with entrepreneurs and it has been both rewarding and illuminating. There is not a day that goes by where we are not inspired by what is being done exceptionally well, and also what could use a dose of reality or insight to help business owners get out of their own way. Over these years, our company has advised and guided countless founders of entrepreneurial enterprises.
 In a blog written in October of 2022, I shared the negative impacts to business growth in having a codependent business. This edition is going to delve deeper into codependency at the leadership and management level within an organization. While leadership should ideally empower, engage, and inspire team members to do their best work, when a leader is codependent, performance, productivity, and engagement within the corporate culture is hampered.
 Over the years, I have witnessed, advised or helped rectify numerous encounters and situations related to technology with business owners. What I have concluded is that business owners are perhaps trusting too much, don’t know enough to properly manage their Internet presence and technology, and then are left at the mercy of others at the most inopportune of times.
 Being a for profit business means your focus is on growing a business that is profitable. Seems like a “duh” statement, doesn’t it? Then why isn’t this understood from the very beginning? Depending on the source, the average number of years a start-up business becomes profitable is anywhere from 2 to 5 years. And yet according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, an alarming 20% of start-ups fail within 2 years and another 45% of businesses don’t make it past 5 years. Only 25% of businesses make it to 15 years or more. A more profitable business is a more bankable business. Just ask your local banker. A start up that is in a growth mode and can’t show a profit is hard pressed to get bank funding, and while it may be able to get angel or venture funding, then the pressure to be profitable becomes ever present. It seems evident that profitability should be taken more seriously from the very beginning. So why isn’t it?
 Over 40 years working with a variety of industries, we have had the pleasure of strategically advising numerous businesses where government regulatory factors and/or the nature of the industry dictated an everyday management of risk. Whether it was a financial services firm or a manufacturing or construction company, risk management was key to the company’s ongoing ability to grow and thrive.
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AuthorSherre' DeMao is founder and CEO of BizGrowth Inc. An author, speaker and entrepreneurial innovator, she was named in 2025 among MSN's Ten Women Trailblazers Revolutionizing Their Fields. Her ability to scale and grow businesses has earned her position as a Forbes Council member and regular thought leader and expert in articles on Forbes.com. Archives
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