Scaling in Alignment
What does it mean to scale a business?
Scaling is one of the buzzwords in the business world and it is becoming overused to an extreme that irritates me - and I am a self-proclaimed scaling guru. I should be excited when I hear the word that I am so passionate about, but when others use it in a way that equates to hustle and grinding… I get frustrated. That being said, my own definition of scaling is unique and I have my own twist on it that is as eccentric as my skill set; I am an analytical, CPA and a human resources professional who loves people and also loves streamlining processes to grow revenue.
Scaling is about finding balance.
In my definition, the premise of scaling is to “balance” or in my terms, to pivot your business back in alignment. Think of the image of the scales of justice… and try to balance them. This is what I envision scaling a business to resemble. One of the myths that I most commonly debunk with new clients is that scaling does not equate to growth. That’s right, I said scaling is not about growth.
Scaling does not always mean growth!
Scaling and growth often go hand-in-hand, so why is there a distinct difference? Growth is mostly linear: a company adds new resources (tools, people, capital) and then they grow as a result of the infusion. The key difference: scaling is achieved by exponentially increasing revenue without incurring significant costs by balancing what you already have - and by becoming more efficient. Now, cue that image, again, of the scales I mentioned above.
True scaling starts with Alignment.
Alignment is the focus of how I help my clients scale. Getting realigned is very often related to how you are spending your time. This scale is often skewed far from balanced and far from alignment with your why’s. My passion is to empower small business owners to shift back to their zone of genius and return to the passion of your business: to stop spending time and energy on things other people can do and to focus your effort on the parts of your business that light you up. I refer to this shift as “scaling in alignment.”
Scaling is the key to re-aligning with your passion.
Whether a business is scaling to grow, to make more and work less, or to be able to take a 4-week vacation while the business still thrives, the goal is to re-align with your passion - the reason you started your business. This“why” always needs to be on the forefront of your decisions and actions in your business.
