Lessons in Responsible Business Growth
When I started this journey, scaling the business seemed like the most daunting task. I had a core group of amazing, established clients and a decade-plus track record of winning business, delivering the work, and running the company. The one thing missing from this operational model was the ability to scale the volume of work and the staff needed to support it.
I took the leap anyway. While it has been a turbulent ride at times, things have mostly smoothed out, with many lessons learned along the way.
I’ve often read books and articles about Silicon Valley, with stories centered on tech startups pushing growth and expansion “at all costs,” trying to impress investors and evolve from theoretical concepts into real companies (I’m currently revisiting Walter Isaacson’s book on Steve Jobs). I mean, who doesn’t love the idea of fast growth and quick notoriety? However, there’s one problem with this strategy: few of them actually make it.
While public affairs isn’t the same as the tech or startup world, there are lessons to be learned—many of which I have experienced firsthand over the last year launching Calkin Public Affairs. I think any founder dreams of impressive growth: more clients or customers, more staff, more recognition, and more profits. But not all growth is created equal, and taking a responsible approach doesn’t have to mean moving slowly.
Here are some of my biggest takeaways as we have steadily grown the team from 5 to 10 in just over a year:
1. Effective hiring is everything. Hire right, not fast. It’s not worth rushing, no matter how underwater you might feel. Taking the time to find not just great people, but the right people for your client needs and culture, will make or break growth opportunities. From vice presidents to account executives, take the same thoughtful approach to waiting for the best person, not just who’s available when you’re scrambling.
2. Get comfortable delegating – fast. Easier said than done for a founder, but it’s essential for growth and success. Find a senior leadership team and get over needing to own and be involved in every decision. There is no greater growth driver than freeing up capacity to do more. Hiring Richard Stapler as my Chief Client Officer is a great example of delegation that has driven incredible growth.
3. Get organized and stay organized. I’ve talked a lot about getting your corporate ducks in a row. This means processes and content locked in around onboarding, employee immersions, talent acquisition, career mapping, and the always fun HR protocols and trainings that are critical to moving from a handful of staff to a larger team. This takes time, and patience, but without it, you will find real trouble.
4. Stay true to your strategy. Not every client may be a fit, and not all money is profitable. This one is hard, as who doesn’t want to take any new opportunity that comes your way, especially when just starting out. Lots of self-imposed pressure to say “yes” because you feel you have to. By sticking to your client and focus area strategy – and business model – you will ensure the expertise is there, and that you’re moving toward your goals. Healthy expansion will happen holistically – not by forcing it.
5. Be open to surge capacity. Sometimes more of the right kind of business comes in faster than you and your team can handle. Having a bench of strong and proven contacts who might be able to jump in as part-time support or contractors is always helpful, and having a list across specialties is even better. Since COVID, we all know countless great people who have left traditional jobs to consult, work part-time or just be out on their own. Keeping stock of these contacts can help you out in a pinch and could even lead to you bringing them on full-time if the fit and growth trajectory are right.
Growing your business is fun – and rewarding. But doing so without the right plan and building blocks in place can lead to disaster, and a reputation hit that will be hard to build back. So, stay organized out there – even in the craziest early days – in fact, especially in the craziest early days!