The Four “D’s” To Win The Checkered Flag of Scaling Up Your Business

I’ve helped several businesses scale over the past 37 years. Like building a racecar to outperform all the other cars on the track, scaling- up your business means your team is firing on all cylinders. We have no room for project stalls or new product launches to backfire. When your company is scaling up, there is a lot to consider. Suppose you don’t want to run out of gas (cash ) as you reach speeds you have never experienced before. We cannot lose track of strategic decisions; your pit crew structure driver training and conditioning and decision-making processes must be fine-tuned to perfection.

What are the four “D’s” we need to focus on to win race after race?

First, you and your team must be drivers of personal and economic growth. Think of it this way: your managers are all now coaches! One-on-one coaching is essential for employees to stay focused and motivated. We inspect what we expect and keep team members focused on achieving their key deliverables, even when we have unexpected debris on the raceway. If we find a team member drifting off course, we help them adjust quickly. Consider offering additional training to enable constant learning. Do your associates have the right skills by role to deliver on your one-page strategic plan to win the race?

Secondly, leaders must also find the balance between the demands of their owners and the actual processes of doing their work. Even though your company’s processes must be profitable, keeping your reputation with your stakeholders in mind is also essential. We accomplish this balance by creating a custom-tailored strategy. We share the plan with everyone to ensure each team member knows how their role contributes to winning the scaling-up race. As we time an engine to ensure your engine is running at peak performance, we must have a strategic framework that balances shareholders, customers, and vendors while delivering the greatest acceleration as efficiently as possible. We will accelerate through the turns when other businesses slow down due to economic downturns.

To execute your strategy successfully, you’ll need to implement routines to enable sufficient discipline – the third D. Your entire company must be aware of the number one priority for each quarter or year – the first element of discipline. With a defined target in mind, you’ll be able to prioritize effectively. Another aspect of discipline is a regular meeting routine and cadence, complemented by constant data review. This way, you’ll be able to detect problems immediately and tackle them as quickly as possible. We implement quick daily huddles, weekly team meetings, monthly leadership meetings, and full-day quarterly plans with your senior leadership team.

Finally, it’s essential that you know which questions are the most pressing ones and starts making decisions. When scaling up, a company should begin by tackling the biggest issues first, then working through other problems – in the same way you might start planning for a race by tuning up the engine, then move to the right tires for the track conditions, refuel strategy, and the aerodynamics of your body design.

So, the four D’s are drivers, demands, discipline, and decisions.

The growth framework is straightforward, but as many of you know, scaling a business is very complex, and we must watch our dashboards for insightful, actionable data…

Is your team prepared to scale- up in 2023?

Are any gaps in your people, strategy, execution, or cash that would prevent you from winning in 2023 and increasing your value 10X?

Would you like to know now so we can fill the gaps quickly?

If you want to know, contact me at mark@outbsolutions.com and write” assessment” in the email. I will send you a link to an online assessment instrument to help you identify gaps in your current state that could prevent your future profitable growth and winning the scaling-up race.

If your team has decided to win the race of scaling up your business, we would be honored to help you win the race.