Small Business Edge Newsletter

1) How Your Startup Can Grow Faster

2) Meet Gen C

3) Podcast Wisdom

Hello Friends and Fellow Business Owners,

Happy Tuesday, September 17th.

My word for this week is GROWTH.   

Whether you're scaling your company, expanding your skill set, or navigating through challenges, growth usually requires four things: a proactive mindset, accountability, a clear plan, and focus. If you are looking to cultivate a growth mindset, here is my advice:

1. Adopt a Proactive Approach—Growth doesn’t just happen; it results from consistent, deliberate action. Many of us fall into the trap of being reactive—putting out fires and dealing with problems as they happen. If you want growth, switch your mindset from default to proactive! Anticipate challenges before they happen and ask yourself, “What can I do today to prepare for tomorrow?” Play the “What If?” game regularly to identify potential hurdles and craft strategies to navigate them before they disrupt your business.

2. Be Accountable to Your Goals—Growth demands accountability. Setting ambitious goals is easy, but achieving them requires discipline and self-reflection. Who holds you accountable? Who’s telling you what you need to hear instead of what you want to hear? Accountability demands persistence and staying true to your vision. Sometimes, you need other people to be your truth-tellers.

3. Create a GPS Plan for Your Business—Just like you wouldn’t embark on a road trip without directions, you shouldn’t approach business growth without a plan. Think of your goals as your destination and your strategy as the GPS that guides you there. A well-thought-out plan outlines your key milestones, identifies potential obstacles, and helps you navigate your way forward. Review and adjust this plan as you go to stay on track even when detours and obstacles pop up.

4. Stay Focused—In a world full of distractions, maintaining focus is one of the greatest challenges for business owners. It’s easy to get pulled in multiple directions, but growth requires concentrated effort. Set clear priorities and establish boundaries to protect your time (the single most important commodity in your business). When you focus on what matters, you will make meaningful progress toward your goals.Committing to a growth mindset is just that, 100%, no excuses, commitment to success.

So, how much do you really want it?

Wishing you a week of growth and success!

Peace,

Brian

1. How Your Startup Can Grow Faster

Startups led by founders boast faster growth. Running your business in founder mode “means hewing to a startup founder’s mindset and management style. It’s about bypassing rigid organizational structures and encouraging close collaboration across department levels,” says Paul Graham, the co-founder of Y Combinator.

He adds that startups operated in “manager mode” bring in competent, experienced managers to run teams with minimal interference.

Graham believes that “founder-CEOs of fast-growing companies are more agile than professional CEOs. That hands-on approach could lead to higher growth by improving the company’s product or motivating front-line employees.”

Learn more about what makes startups grow faster.

More on growth

• Booming growth of the space economy
• Drive growth with Google reviews
• How to scale

2. Meet Gen C

Generation C is also known as Generation Covid. Molded by the global upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, 84% of this cohort has faced pandemic-induced stress and yet are resilient and able to adapt.

Gen C is part of Gen Z but is more impatient, anxious, and resilient than the broader generation.

In the workplace, Gen C has less patience for employers who seem out of touch with the world around them and those who are slow to adapt or change. Gen C saw the world change overnight. They are prepared for any type of change to occur rapidly, and they, therefore, demand the same from others.

As consumers, Gen C values transparency and authenticity, so communications with them should be genuine and honest.

Read more about Generation C.

3. Podcast Wisdom

Click HERE to listen to the podcast