I once worked for a company that was OBSESSED with the idea of growth. The founders just could not let it go.

That might seem like an "ok, sure, that's business, though, babe?" moment, but I specifically use the word 'idea' here because, yes, it's absolutely not uncommon to be thinking about growth (it would be weird not to be thinking about it, even if that thought is "nah, thanks") but these people loved the idea of growth, not the reality.

They wanted the trappings of scale - the big new office with the view, the lunches with and gifts from investors, flying to America to 'explore expanding'. One of the co-founders even started thinking about what TV show he wanted to present... But when it came to knuckling down to the realities of what it would take? Absolute crickets. Crickets and denial.

I remember one particularly memorable conversation during which I said "I don't think you're keeping enough of an eye on cashflow" and one of the founders said (CFOs reading this may want to skip ahead to avoid nightmares) "We don't need to worry about cashflow, we have revenue".

I started planning my departure that day, but it turned out I didn't need to do much planning - they ran out of money before I could run out the door.

If you're thinking about growing (and, again, who isn't?), and you're wondering if now is the right time and how you can do it without fucking it all up, this may be the article for you.

We're going to look at what 'growth' actually is, the pros and cons of doing it, and whether now is the right time for you to grow your business.

And we're definitely going to be keeping an eye on cashflow.

Growing a business: what actually is 'growth'?

Firstly, if we're going to look at whether or not it's the right time for you to grow a business, we need to first get to a shared understanding of what 'growth' actually means.

Spoiler alert: it's not just about slapping a purple 'Hiring!' decal on your LinkedIn profile picture and hoping for the best.

For an SME in the UK (where I primarily operate), real growth isn't just about revenue.

Remember those cashflow-avoidant founders? What they chose to ignore is that 'growth' is about sustainable, strategic expansion. It's about what's going out as much as it's about what's coming in. Especially in 2025. Think of 'growth' as building a bigger, stronger version of your business, not just a flashier one. It's about the top line, yes, but it's also about the bottom line - you need to be laying down foundations that won't crumble the moment you try to build a second storey on all your existing great work.

And those foundations? They're made of more than just money.

Sure, you might see growth as hitting whatever ambitious revenue targets you've promised yourself/staff/investors, and that's fair enough. But it's also about growing your team in the right way, investing in the right tools and systems, and, and I cannot stress this vehemently enough, it's about knowing your customer inside out, upside down, and back to front.

To truly 'grow' you've got to make sure your business can handle the extra weight without buckling under the pressure. Essentially, it's less 'spray and pray' and more 'meditate then move'.

(Real) growth can be messy, it can be stressful, and it can definitely involve a few sleepless nights.

But when it's done right, when you're growing in a way that's aligned with your business's Mission and your customers' needs, it can be incredibly rewarding. You're building something that lasts, something that makes a real difference to the people whose problems you're solving. And, yes, maybe even something that gets you that bigger office with a view – but only if the cashflow’s looking healthy.

Let's look at why you should grow your business.

Growing a business: the pros of growth.

The potential rewards of growth are pretty compelling and really hard to ignore when you've grown up in late-stage Capitalism.

First off, because I love solving interesting problems with nice people, growing your business means expanding your impact. You're not just making a bigger profit, you're reaching more customers, solving more problems, and, hopefully, creating a bigger opportunity to make the world just a little bit better for having your company in it.

In a UK market that's constantly evolving, particularly in ways that move us away from some of our Socialist foundations, that kind of expanded reach can be a real game-changer for real people.

Growing your business allows you to create opportunities, not just for yourself, but for your team, your suppliers, your community, your customers. Growth can mean a legacy, it can mean a sustainable engine of value that can weather the ups and downs of the economy and provide a lot of people with a lot of stability.

Strategic growth can also make your business more resilient. In the midst of economic uncertainty, a well-managed, growing business is so much better equipped to adapt to change, seize new opportunities, and navigate tough challenges. You're not just surviving, you're thriving. You're building a business that's not just bigger, but also stronger, more agile, and more capable of achieving its long-term goals; whatever you're building and whatever your personal definition of success, I think that's something we all aspire to.

Growing a business: the cons of growth.

What about the 'oh, hell no!' moments of the growth journey? I find a lot of content gives space, particularly on social media, to only the aspirational trappings of growth and I wouldn't be a COO if I didn't cautiously give you both sides of the coin.

First, let's address the issue of stress. I've written a lot recently about burnout and mental health in entrepreneurship because it's something I navigate daily. I even co-host an entire podcast, Startup Breakdown, on the subject of growing a business without losing your mind.

Growing a business isn't so much a gentle stroll in the park as it is a marathon uphill, in the rain, with a knee that makes you beg to be back in your early 20s. It can put a massive strain on your resources, your time, your relationships, and your sanity. If you're not prepared for that level of intensity, you could find yourself quickly burning out. And burnout is no joke. It can take years to recover from true burnout.

Then there's the inevitable distance. As your business grows, you'll inevitably have to delegate more, which means giving up some of that control you've held ever so tightly. And that can be tough, especially if you're a bit of a control freak (no judgment here, I'm a massive one, just ask my label-maker).

I'm frequently one of the first 'other' people to come into a company and I see first hand how hard it can be for a founder to trust someone other than themselves to deliver. I've had other people working for me and it was hard to trust them, I get it.

But, if you want to properly grow, you've got to trust your team to deliver, and that can be a leap into faith that even Kierkegaard would find hard to rationalise. It can also be a LOT of work to hire and train and manage and reward and retain those people. Whether you're a founder or an operator, every day that you grow is a day that sees you moving further away from the front line of your organisation and you have to get comfortable facing up to the risk of losing that personal touch, that 'small business' vibe that your customers loved in the first place.

Then there's finances. Growth often means significant investment, and that can leave you vulnerable to cashflow crunches from unexpected or unknown expenses as well as from the ones you actually planned for. If you're not careful, you could find yourself overstretched, over-leveraged, and staring down both barrels of a financial disaster. And, trust me, the view from your new office window starts to look a lot less exciting when all you're thinking about is how much it's costing you.

Growing a business: how to know when it's time.

I could spend days giving you rough frameworks and pros and cons lists for whether it is or isn't time to grow your business but I'm never going to be able to answer it fully without knowing more about the specific circumstances that you operate in. There are a lot of universal truths to business (it's why working with a COO who has helped over 200 customers in the last few years can be great for your future successes - that's me, hi, hit me up here), but there are also a lot of idiosyncrasies.

Whilst I might not be able to give you a sensible and useful 'yes' or 'no' either way, I can give you a starting point. Here are ten questions to ask yourself about your company. If you can answer 'yes' to all of these, now might be the time to think about putting together a growth plan.

1. Do you have a solid problem statement that clearly articulates the value that you offer your customers?

   
   

2. Are your current operations running smoothly and efficiently, with minimal day-to-day firefighting?

   
   

3. Do you have a solid, predictable revenue stream that consistently covers your costs and generates a healthy profit?

   
   

4. Is your customer base growing organically, and are you seeing strong customer satisfaction and retention rates?

   
   

5. Do you have a clear, well-defined Strategy that aligns with your business's mission and values?

   
   

6. Have you thoroughly assessed your financial resources and created a realistic budget for your growth plans?

   
   

7. Do you have a talented, reliable team in place that's ready to take on the challenges of expansion?

   
   

8. Are your systems and processes scalable, and can they handle the increased demands of a larger business?

   
   

9. Have you researched your target market and identified clear opportunities for growth and expansion?

   
   

10. Are you prepared to delegate effectively and empower your team to take on more responsibility?

If you can answer 'yes' to all of those and you truly feel that you're personally ready for the increased stress and workload that comes with growing a business, now could be a great time to think about growth - give me a shout via the link below if you want some help.

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