3 Tell-Tale Signs That Your Business is Getting Too Big Too Fast

If you were to ask business owners what their highest priority is, you’d likely get a similar answer from each: growth.

Building a business in terms of size is often more important to its owners than profitability, but can a business grow too fast? Exponential growth actually has the potential to scupper an entire operation, so it’s something to keep an eye out for. Here are 3 tell-tale signs that your business is getting too big, too fast.

3. You’re missing deadlines or orders

Whether you’re in the business of providing a product or a service, there is always some form of deliverable. If you’re finding yourself unable to meet the promises or commitments you’ve made to customers, it could be a big red flag. Keep a very close eye on missed deadlines or orders that miss their shipment dates. If these start to pile up, you’ll quickly find that customers begin to complain either vocally or (and this is more likely) by simply not employing your services again. In the worst excesses of this issue, you may have to cancel and refund orders – and that does not reflect well on your reputation.

2. You’ve had to suspend promotional efforts

Promotion and advertising is the lifeblood of any active business. Whether that’s online advertising, printed ads, or anything else, if you find yourself needing to stop these activities, it could be a warning sign. The message is clear: you’ve essentially reached capacity, whereby additional orders will prevent you from providing a solid service. Suspending your promotional activity is a good way to create some breathing room, but it’s also a big sign that you need to make changes somewhere in the organisation.

1. Customers are having to chase you

Depending on the size of your business, you’re sure to have a certain number of tactics for dealing with customer relationships. But when a small business grows quickly, without the right solution these channels can quickly become clogged. That could be emails building up in inboxes or the phone ringing off the hook. Whatever the case, the result is often the same: some customers get left out in the cold. If you’re receiving irate emails from existing customers with questions or chasing deliverables, you may have a growth problem. In the ideal scenario, it should almost always be you and your employees doing the chasing – never the other way around.

So there you have it: three huge red flags sending you a very clear message. There are a number of solutions you could employ to tackle each of these problems, but one of the most effective is a reliable CRM solution. It’ll help you keep track of existing customers, reach out to new ones, and run your business the way you want to. This way, you can avoid disgruntled and neglected clients, and manage the increasing demands of a growing business in a way that won’t make you feel like you’re spinning plates!