I was recently talking with a client who is at the end of year 1 of his 3 year growth plan. We were recapping with an After Action Review (a report of what worked and what didn’t), and I was surprised by some of his comments. Although, in the beginning of year one he created a written plan for growing his business, he never thought about the additional costs he would have to support that growth.
Fortunately for him, he had savings tucked away so he didn’t have any hiccups in his plan. But without that savings his growth plan could have been a flop.
So what costs have the potential to increase when you’re growing your business?
If You’re Adding New Services- Many times a business will grow by adding new services. This requires an investment in education, new processes, and marketing for the new service. Learning will not only cost money but time as well. Be sure you have planned for both!
If You’re Hiring- Many times if you are increasing your business volume you will also need to hire. You’ll need to budget for the increased salary as well as payroll taxes, benefits, paid time-off, and workers comp insurance. Take also into consideration additional software and hardware costs for that employee. While hardware is typically a one-time expense (desk, computer, printer, etc), software is typically a monthly expense.
If You’re Increasing Sales- If your growth is coming from increased sales you will probably need to increase your marketing budget. This will involve time and money. Will you outsource this or do it in-house? Are you growing online or in a new region? Aligning your marketing needs with a marketing budget will help you plan accordingly.
If You’re Increasing Production- If you’re developing new products, or producing more products, you’ll not only need to invest in more equipment but you’ll also need more raw materials on hand. This could also lead to hiring, and increased marketing, which increases your upfront costs.
If You’re Adding Locations- If you are scaling your business by opening new locations you need to be aware of not only the upfront costs to open a location but also the ongoing costs. When adding locations you need to be focused on process development and improvement above all else. Clear and concise processes are the only way you can get your business to run without you there… and isn’t that the ultimate goal?
It’s important to not only understand these costs but to also have them at the forefront of your growth plan. Failing to plan for these extra costs can be detrimental to your business if you don’t factor them in.
If you’d like to grow your business but you’re not real sure where to start, contact us for a free consultation, and we’ll see how we can help you reach your goals.