Predictable Success

Understanding “Predictable Success”

Why do some businesses fail while others succeed? You won’t find the answer simply by comparing balance sheets and money management. In fact, many well-funded companies still flop. Firms that thrive have more than strong finances; they also have the right people and operating structures. Fortunately, any organization can attain Predictable Success, the point at which it dependably realizes its goals. To reach it, companies must progress through three “growth stages.” Then they must avoid three “decline stages” to maintain it. The stages are:

First Growth Stage: “Early Struggle”

In this stage, which usually spans a company’s first three years, your start-up fights to get off the ground and gain speed. In a game where up to 80% of companies die, the well funded fly while the underfunded flail. Make the right moves quickly and deliberately to establish a market for your offerings before you exhaust your initial financing. At the close of each workday, evaluate what your firm has accomplished toward finding a market. Don’t thrust your new company onto the marketplace. Instead, keep your ears open and ask questions to learn “where...