3 Lessons I Learned in 2017 That Will Help Your Company Grow in 2018

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Dreaming of massive business growth this year? Don’t let it become a broken promise to yourself. Though you will certainly need to put in a lot of time, energy, and intention, you’d be surprised how much growth you can experience when you really make it a priority.

For instance, ClearCompany moved up the ranks last year to 1338 on Inc. 5000 – up 205 spaces from 2016, with 304 percent growth. With the right focus and team leadership, small business leaders can experience this level of growth within their own walls, too.

The foundation for growth starts with solid team-building. There’s a difference between a good team and a great team, and that difference is a matter of strong dedication to your mission. This means dedication to the process, your customers, and the company’s goals.

Here’s how to make 2018 the year you see more growth than you ever thought possible:

1. Focus on the Process, Not the Outcome

One of the biggest mistakes small business leaders make is putting too much focus and pressure on the end result, or monetary growth. Unfortunately, this causes teams to miss steps in the process and lose sight of teamwork, customers, and the mission that should be driving everyone forward.

Get back to the roots of your company and focus on the most important part of the process: customers.

ClearCompany invested heavily in customers and their experience in 2017. This helped lead the company into taking calculated risks that resulted in sustainable growth. From there, it was a matter of identifying those growth levers and working hard to make them scale.

By knowing the necessary steps in the process – and what works specifically for your company – you can set yourself up to grow predictably within an enormous addressable market. The most important part of the process of growth is remaining focused on customers’ needs and feedback.

2. Invest in the Team

Every team member matters, from the newest hire to the CEO. When you invest heavily in your employees, you’ll be surprised at the great returns you get.

Start by looking for ways to nurture your team and hire more A players. To do this, engage people around the mission and vision of the company from first interaction throughout their entire employment.

Rallying your team around your culture and mission isn’t just valuable to the company’s growth. In fact, a recent LinkedIn report found both recruiters and candidates agree company culture and values are crucial when it comes to standing out from competing employers in the talent market.

You must ensure your team is equipped with the right tools, feedback, and encouragement to help them achieve both personal and company-wide goals. This, combined with hiring people who are already invested in your mission and values, means you can be confident in their passion to provide quality customer service.

3. Remain Transparent and True to Your Values

Small businesses can’t reach their full potential without remaining transparent with both their team and clients. No matter what level of the hierarchy business leaders are on, transparency drives performance. That’s the key to staying true to company values and connected with every one of your employees and customers.

To successfully help customers achieve their own visions, you must implement your vision in house every single day. That means remaining transparent with your team every day and in real time. This helps employees understand exactly where improvement is needed and motivates them to keep up their outstanding work.

Every business leader has their own journey to success and growth. With the right focus on values, customers, and employees, that vision of growth will go beyond anything you thought attainable. You can take my word for it.

Andre Lavoie is CEO of ClearCompany.

By Andre Lavoie