For any business, and small business especially, the business owner’s primary objective is to grow and develop his company. This text, explains the evolutionary steps encountered by small business growth during this journey and the way proper planning facilitates these transitional phases.
First off, what’s small business?
The SBA considers small business one that employs 500 or less employees. Under this broad-based definition, the Bureau of Labor Statistics determined that small businesses comprised 99.7% of all U.S. employer firms and created 64% of internet new jobs from 1993 to 2021. Annual new business openings accounted for about 10 – 12% of the entire small businesses with employees which, consistent with Bis.gov, totalled around 400,000. Typically, only half new businesses survive 3 to five years, and less than one-third remain operational longer than 10 years. Only 80% of latest Bookkeeping services for small business ventures survive past their first year.
My father operated small watchman business in Toledo, OH which had 500 employees. As a young boy, I remember asking him what he did for a living, and he responded that he was the “chief cook and bottle washer.” Strange, I recall thinking; he never washed the dishes reception. Later, my father expanded and clarified his earlier definition by saying that he had to try to it all. a number of his duties included hiring and training employees, meeting with prospective new clients and ensuring existing clients were happy, keeping the books, paying the bills, paying employees, filing payroll tax returns, witness duty, government compliance reporting, claim reporting, billing and collecting from clients, and fielding the various early morning calls from guards or clients with problems. Chief cook and bottle washer, indeed!
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Several models exist that detail small business growth patterns. For the aim of this text, we’ll examine the Harvard Business Review published work of Neil C. Churchill and Virginia L. Lewis, “The Five Stages of Small Business Growth.” These stages include:
Existence
Survival
Success
Take-Off (Growth)
Resource Maturity
While transitioning through each phase, the business owner’s role gradually evolves from operator to manager, and her goals shift from short-term reactionary to longer-term proactively. samples of typical early phase objectives might be resource-oriented, like worrying if there are enough customers within the store, supplies on the shelf, employee coverage, and (most importantly) sufficient take advantage the bank to urge through another day. Advance planning is often-times deemed a luxury that “sounds good in theory” but isn’t considered practical given the constraints of the 24-hour clock.
Existence during this initial stage of small business, 1) the merchandise or service isn’t market-tested, 2) most owners perform the bulk of the work, and 3) cash is usually scarce. Increasing customer “head count” through awareness and satisfaction are the core objectives that have got to be accomplished quickly. Systems and controls are of minimal consideration, and accounting practices contains preparing deposits, writing checks, and checking bank balances each morning.
Although a business plan may are a prerequisite for obtaining financing, frequently these plans are shelved shortly after creation and are never revisited. Within the existence stage, immediate operational needs, not future planning, are the highest priority. Unfortunately, prioritizing these sorts of immediate, operational needs often leads too many small businesses failing or significantly under-performing, in part, thanks to not following the roadmap to success detailed in their business growth.
Kayabooks services can benefit companies during this preliminary stage by assuming the function of monetary statement preparation and comparing operational results with projections. Our analysis of planned versus actual variances will provide the business owner with critical insights designed to assist his business stay course.
Survival within the survival stage, the business experiences small profit alongside a somewhat stabilized customer base. Income still remains pivotal thanks to competitive pricing and extra outflows necessary to accommodate expanded products or services requested by customers.
In the survival stage, awareness shifts towards increasing market share and return on investment (ROI). Gross profit margin and price efficiency are reviewed as a way to initially realize these objectives. We will assist the business owner during this stage to develop revised business plans supported predetermined marketing and return objectives. Kayabooks also can develop weekly “flash” reports that provide timely feedback on business performance within select business plan key performance indicators (KPIs).
Success The implementation of systems leading to stabilized profitability and streamlined operations occur within the third stage aptly titled success. During this phase, the business owner’s role begins to vary from “doer” to “manager”, as delegation plays a bigger role within the corporate. During the success stage, the business owner is faced with the choice to take care of operations at current levels or to pursue a growth-based plan.
Budgeting remains critical within the third stage, even with the company’s demonstrated financial stability. Through the budget planning process, Kayabooks can assist the business owner establish her short-term (profitability) and long-term (market-share) strategic goals.
Take-Off (Growth) Capital structure and finance play a bigger role for a corporation that reaches the take-off stage. A business owner at this level will pursue market preservation / expansion or the sale of the corporate for significant profits. Additional capital may become necessary to take a position in equipment and facilities, to properly service a better customer volume, or to extend the worth proposition of products and services just to stay competitive.
Resource Maturity A resource mature company possesses a dominate market share and a loyal customer base. Expansion is achieved through expanding the first business model, market area, or product offerings. Expanded investing in research and development characterize Accounting services for small business.
Kayabooks can assist the business owner within the last two stages, no matter the direction pursued. We will perform capital budgeting analysis to assist determine the viability of proposed investment projects, as measured by ROI and payback. If the business owner decides instead to sell the business, we’ll assist in valuing the corporate to assist maximize the owner’s ultimate return on investment.
