Growth Phase ($250K to $500K)

Early Stage Startup / Side Hustle

The truth is that we all start somewhere, and based on the data, most of us start here. Approximately 33% of all businesses launch with less than $5,000, and as much as 73% of businesses start with less than $50,000. This means that, for all intents and purposes, most companies begin as micro-businesses or side hustles.

At this stage, there are just a handful of key focus areas. The most important are finding clients, making sales, serving those clients, and repeating the process. While there are a few additional considerations, these objectives are paramount—without solving for them, you don’t have a business. Below is a breakdown of the 6 Core Competencies and the key focus points for each category at this stage.

Your 6 Core Competencies

Leadership & Vision

Develop a clear vision, turn it into your business plan, and set personal goals to transition from a micro-business or side hustle to a scalable business.
Before you can effectively communicate your business to others, you need clarity about its purpose, offerings, and direction. Including who is your target audience and what problem you solve for them.
Master self-leadership before trying to lead others: Set clear expectations for yourself, practice time and activity discipline, and build a strong work ethic.
Regularly revisit your goals to ensure alignment with your growth ambitions. Remember a business will only grow to the potential of its leader, which means you can be your own bottleneck to business growth.

Financial Acumen

Establish a simple system for tracking income and expenses. In the beginning, a spreadsheet might suffice, but as revenue grows, invest in reliable accounting tools.
Choose a tool widely used (e.g., QuickBooks, Wave, or FreshBooks) to ensure scalability and ease of handoff when you eventually outsource this function.
Monitor cash flow closely, as financial discipline is critical at this stage.

Sales & Marketing

Focus on affordable resources like social media and in-person networking to build awareness and attract clients. Determine and focus on your highest-value product or service initially, almost exclusively to enhance profits.
Start with a simple website or leverage your social media profiles; avoid overinvesting in branding until you have consistent sales.
Create a sales process that is repeatable and measurable. Refine your approach based on conversion data.
Invest in basic marketing materials, such as business cards or a digital business card solution, to support networking efforts.
Capture all of your lead generation efforts in a CRM for communicating and following up with potential clients.

Operational Excellence

Optimize your personal productivity using tools like task management software (e.g., Trello, Asana, or ClickUp).
Automate basic processes wherever possible, such as client follow-ups, scheduling, and invoicing, to save time.
Consider a lightweight CRM or an industry-specific business management solution to keep operations organized as you grow.

Human Capital Management

Learn to leverage human capital without committing to permanent hires.
Outsource small tasks to freelancers (e.g., bookkeeping, graphic design, social media management) using platforms like Fiverr or Upwork.
Use AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Jasper) to enhance efficiency in areas like content creation, customer communication, and administrative work.
Consider solutions like GPT Agents for regular administrative work to reduce your time doing redundant tasks.
Explore virtual assistants for administrative tasks you lack expertise in, freeing your time for strategic activities.

Customer Focus

Build strong relationships with your initial customers and collect testimonials to boost your credibility.
Use your Google Business Profile to capture and showcase customer reviews. Display testimonials prominently on your website and social media.
Implement automation tools to manage client communication, follow-ups, and deliverables efficiently.
Listen to customer feedback and adjust your offerings, solutions, and expectations to better serve your market.