Making the Shift to Business Leader: Build the Team to Scale

Breaking free of the 9-5 to venture out on your own is a big step that takes long hours, patience, and perseverance. When it all comes together into a profitable, sustainable business, it’s a remarkable reward that drives most entrepreneurs.

However, being a solopreneur comes with limitations. If you want your business to scale, you’re going to need to shift to a business leader and delegate tasks to others. Otherwise, your growth has a ceiling.

Being an entrepreneur comes with natural leadership skills, but there’s a big difference between that and being a business leader. You have to be able to successfully lead a team to support long-term scalability and profitability.

The Challenges that Come with Business Growth

Building a team may seem like a simple concept, but it’s much more complicated in practice. Most solo entrepreneurs get used to managing all the day-to-day and big-picture tasks for their business, but that can become overwhelming quickly. There’s only so much you can accomplish in a day, and that becomes unmanageable if you’re seeking sustainable growth.

Here are some of the common challenges that entrepreneurs face when they grow their own business:

Loss of Control

One of the motivations for starting a business is the desire to have control over every aspect, not answer to anyone, and make decisions about how the business should run. Entrepreneurs like this autonomy, but successful businesses are rarely left up to one person.

Letting go of control and bringing others into the fold can be difficult for many solopreneurs, leading to problems like micromanagement that can tank a business. Learning to delegate effectively and trust in others to get the job done as well – or better – than you can is crucial to your success, but getting into that mindset can be challenging.

Wearing Too Many Hats

Most entrepreneurs wear many hats well, especially early on in a startup. Most prefer to have a say in every aspect of the business. However, as your business grows, it becomes next to impossible to maintain that level of hands-on involvement.

Delegating to your trustworthy team not only ensures that everything gets done but frees you to focus on high-level strategy. They’re handling the day-to-day while you keep your focus on the future.

Communication Barriers

As your team grows, communication becomes more complex and more important. Keeping everyone informed and aligned toward a common goal requires clear processes, regular check-ins, and structured feedback loops.

If you don’t prioritize effective communication, you could end up with communication silos and division that sows negativity and inhibits your team’s progress, not to mention creating a toxic culture that doesn’t nurture lasting loyalty.

Ineffective Leadership

Many entrepreneurs are task-oriented, especially early in the process. Shifting to leadership becomes more about guiding and motivating the team while creating a positive company culture, which isn’t easy.

Leaders who motivate and nurture have strong interpersonal skills, effective communication, empathy, and the ability to inspire. Not everyone has these skills naturally, so it can be a challenge to grow your own skills to grow your team.

How to Scale Your Business Successfully

Here are some actionable strategies to scale your business with success:

Define Your Vision and Values

To become a successful business leader, you need to know your vision for your business. It’s important to understand where you are now, where you want to be, and the values that will stay consistent throughout.

It’s a bit like undertaking a home renovation project or resale project. You need a blueprint to follow to give your business direction and purpose. This vision will guide your decisions and ensure that you’re staying focused. You should also have core values that reflect what you want your business to be, which also shape your company culture as your business takes on more team members.

For example, Patagonia, an outdoor clothing company, has been in business since 1973. Its founder was an avid rock climber and created climbing gear, eventually leading to Patagonia and its products designed for the adventurous. Since its start, Patagonia has been committed to environmental activism, integrating sustainability into everything from product design to philanthropy.

Attract the Right Team

No matter how successful you are, your team will eventually become the backbone of your business. As your business grows, the people you hire can make or break your business. It’s important to attract the right people.

When you recruit for open positions, it’s crucial to focus not just on the necessary skills and experience but the cultural fit. Hard skills like tech proficiency can be taught, but soft skills like communication, empathy, resilience, and creativity can’t. Look for people who support your larger business goals and align with your culture in a diverse team.

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Learn to Delegate

Delegating is difficult for a lot of people, but especially solopreneurs. It may seem great to call all the shots, but it requires the skills to delegate and trust that you’ve built a team up to the task.

Learning to trust your team members and assigning tasks based on their strengths and expertise becomes the most important thing. This not only frees your time to focus on strategic initiatives but empowers your team to showcase their skills, take accountability, and feel a sense of ownership over the business’s success.

Strengthen Your Communication Skills

Effective communication doesn’t always come naturally to entrepreneurs who are used to juggling a lot of tasks by themselves. So, once a team is involved, clear communication channels and expectations become an essential part of your success.

Open-door policies, one-on-one check-ins, and regular team meetings can be used to encourage communication across team members and departments. This also includes researching and investing in tools that keep everyone connected, especially with remote or hybrid teams dispersed in different time zones.

Promote a Positive Company Culture

A positive company culture is an important part of long-term growth. You set the stage for teams that feel respected and valued for their contributions and attract like-minded individuals. You’re leading by example, encouraging teamwork, and welcoming unique perspectives and ideas.

Part of a healthy company culture is promoting work-life balance with perks like wellness programs and flexible work arrangements. Google is arguably one of the best examples of company culture, built on putting team members first with perks like trips, gym memberships, free meals, team parties, and more. Even as Google grows, it maintains this positive culture throughout its remote team members.

Nurture Professional Development

One of the reasons for high employee turnover is a lack of growth opportunities or professional development. Offering employees opportunities for professional development not only helps them individually but pays off for your business.

Consider investing in training programs for employees, both inside and outside of work hours, to show your commitment to their growth and nurture the skills and knowledge they’ll need to support your business goals. You could also add mentorship programs, online course offerings, workshops, and industry conferences to expand their knowledge.

For instance, Sonatype, a leader in supply chain management software, equips employees for success from day one with a robust New Hire Onboarding program that helps employees transition into their roles easily. As teams grow, they can enroll in Sales Enablement programs, Product Certification Training, and other opportunities to sharpen their skills. In addition, Sonatype offers internship programs for hands-on experience, specialized workshops for leadership development and performance management, and more.

Embrace Technology

Most businesses rely on some kind of technology tools to improve their operations. By embracing digital transformation, instead of sticking with what’s always been done, you can improve your operational efficiency and prepare for growth.

Advancements in AI technology offer ways to automate your business tasks like email marketing, social media management, and customer support, to name a few. Consider technologies that make sense for your business to help you scale effectively and overcome common growing pains.

Track Performance

The first hints of success with sales and profits can be really exciting, but you still have to keep your eye on the prize. Don’t take your wins for granted, because the market can shift pretty quickly. It’s important to track your performance and stay ahead of any obstacles that may creep up.

Measuring the progress of your business and looking for areas of improvement with clear, measurable goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) is essential. Your KPIs should be tied to your goals, but some common ones include revenue, profit margins, and employee retention rates. Take the time to analyze your KPIs to identify trends, spot potential challenges, and make data-informed decisions.

Source: Unsplash

Celebrate Wins

Growing a business is a marathon, not a sprint. There will be hurdles along the way, so you should acknowledge and celebrate the small wins along the way. This not only boosts team morale but develops a culture of recognition and appreciation.

Adopt a Leadership Mindset

Scaling a business successfully isn’t just about hard work and perseverance. It requires a shift in your mindset to nurture teams rather than relying on yourself for everything. When you attract the right team members, communicate effectively, and look for ways to improve, you’ll build a foundation for sustainable growth and future success. 

About the author: Dalip Jaggi

Entrepreneur, technologist, and passionate business leader sum up the core of Dalip Jaggi, co-founder of Revive Real Estate, a PropTech company with a goal to democratize house flipping. Since its 2020 inception, Revive has since become the smartest solution for homeowners to maximize their home’s sales value across the nation.

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