Here's how you can transform change into a growth opportunity for your small business.

As startups grow into SME's there is a risk that they become so focussed on their original product or service offering that they can miss opportunities. I try to encourage leaders to take the same mindset they apply to their sales pipeline to changes and risks as they arise. This way they are looking at potential threats as potential opportunities. In business services I also apply this logic to client accounts. When their business is challenged internally or threatened by negative market forces, we see this as a way to demonstrate our partnership potential by offering solutions that deliver win-win.

hange is always generated by the influence of the company's external and internal contexts, because the factors generated force or incite the company to react. And it is precisely in this reaction that the company can partially or totally review its strategy and assess how to bring added value to both its product/service portfolio and its operations.

At the risk of contradicting my comment for point 1, the impact assessment of threats is just as important as that for opportunities. A startup must be alert to opportunistic responses to change at the same time as not becoming distracted by non core business. During transition to a SME enterprise this remains important but carries less risk. Key to a solid and measured assessment, the company must include a look at what competitors are doing. With the current pace of change and the appetite to be early adopters of new tech, business must ride a fine line between success and distraction.

Change is great, because it means that there is action and movement. You can't resist it, so you must learn to embrace it, go with the flow, but always look ahead to spot where the opportunities (and risks) lie. While the market and environment change, your values, vision and mission are unlikely to do, at least not too often. Keep your focus on what change means for your goals and the strategies you have in place to reach those. Be willing to amend your goals if you think change merits it, but always measure them against the vision and mission to ensure they stack up long term.

I believe that modern companies are good at technical, process training and personal development. What we should get better at is teaching employees how to apply their learning. A skilled and empowered workforce are continuously looking for improvement opportunities and feel that they can suggest and execute their initiatives. It is worth thinking about the process of decision making at the exec level and see how that can be applied across the company. For example, do employees ask challenging questions such as: what do we know now?, what if?', now what?, so what? These questions define an inquisitive workforce, a prerequisite for ongoing improvement and opportunity generation.

At the heart of our business is a commitment to our customers. I've come to recognize that their feedback, including critiques and requests, serves as a catalyst for growth. Embracing criticism and addressing their needs not only fosters self-improvement but also propels business expansion.

First and foremost, take care of your employees so they can take care of your customers. Free up bandwidth so they have the time to engage customers and set the expectations to do so. Find out why your customers actually come to you. It's not always what you think it is. If you have a brick and mortar location one of the best things you can do is take time to start conversations with everyone who comes in. Try to find out -Why your best customers love you -Why new customers come in for the first time -Why a customer might only think your okay. -Why a customer didn't come back (harder but so important) Try to sus out the good, the bad and the ugly. Truthful knowledge wins!

Adote a mudan?a como parte natural dos negócios. Por exemplo, uma loja física que expandiu para o e-commerce durante a pandemia. Avalie como a mudan?a impacta diversas áreas, como logística e atendimento ao cliente. Desenvolva estratégias proativas, como usar marketing digital para alcan?ar novos clientes. Invista no desenvolvimento contínuo da equipe, treinando em novas tecnologias. Envolva os clientes, solicitando feedback para ajustar produtos ou servi?os. Monitore e ajuste as estratégias regularmente para garantir crescimento contínuo.