Growing & Managing a Business: 25 Keys to Building Your Company

by Kathleen R. Allen

Learn the 25 keys in managing the growth of a business, including identifying the company's competitive advantage, implementing a total-quality strategy, hiring a professional management team and creating a visionary growth-oriented corporate culture:

Key 1. Prepare yourself and your company for growth.
Key 2. Be aware of the factors that affect your company's ability to grow.
Key 3. To grow, your company needs a vision.
Key 4. Put systems and controls in place to manage growth effectively.
Key 5. Develop a strong, professional management team.
Key 6. Find your competitive advantage and sustain it.
Key 7. Choose the right growth strategy for your business.
Key 8. Consolidation and network strategies can be a winning combination.
Key 9. Franchising can be an effective way to grow.
Key 10. Develop a growth-oriented company culture.
Key 11. Strategic alliances can help you grow more rapidly.
Key 12. Develop a sound technology strategy as part of your competitive advantage.
Key 13. Create a flexible organization that adapts quickly to change.
Key 14. Make the customer a part of every aspect of your business.
Key 15. Hire employees who fit the culture of the company.
Key 16. Use an advisory board to guide your growth.
Key 17. Recognize when a growth strategy is in trouble.
Key 18. It takes money to grow.
Key 19. A global orientation should be part of your overall growth strategy.
Key 20. Get onto the Internet to find new customers and retain old ones.
Key 21. Think total quality in every area of your business.
Key 22. To go public or not to go public: it's not an easy question to answer.
Key 23. Find an angel to give the company a jump-start on growth.
Key 24. Make your company a learning organization.
Key 25. Follow a different model for hypergrowth.

Growing & Managing A Business is part of The New York Times Pocket MBA Series, a reference series easily accessible to all businesspersons, from first-level managers to the executive suite. The 12-volume series is written by Ph.D.s who teach in the finest graduate business programs in the country, and edited by business editors from The New York Times. The structure of each volume presents an unparalleled synopsis of crucial principles of specific areas of business expertise.

Genres: Nonfiction, Business

Audio CD

First published November 25, 1999

Reviews

[Rana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super quick read, with some good points. As an accountant, I've had a lot of exposure to these concepts, but I can see how this would be very informative for someone who doesn't have experience in the industry. It was also interesting to read about this from an entrepreneur perspective rather than my usual accounting perspective.

[Arielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not very relevant for small businesses. Expresses very general terms for complex issues.

[Abbas Mouffok · Rating 3 out of 5]

Growing and Managing a Business is a practical guide built on real management fundamentals. The “25 keys” format offers clear reminders about strategy, people, finance, and growth, making it a helpful reference for anyone leading a business. It isn’t deep or revolutionary, but it reinforces solid habits and provides useful checkpoints for improving managerial discipline.

[Alfredo]

i agree with "start a business is not the same skill necessary to grow the business". The tools always are there, and this book gives some ideas that make a reference about how can it helps in your business.

[Sam Motes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very quick read giving 25 points of advice for the all business owner looking to move from startup to solid growth. Just high level review of each topic that the reader will have to seek out other sources for s deeper dive.

[James Sidwa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good list of things to keep in mind but the examples are horribly out of date.

[Olena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Want to re-read again in a few years

[Alberto Lopez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting