The Two Strategies Needed to Maintain Corporate Culture During Business Growth

Maintaining corporate growth in your own business, while also reinforcing a strong company culture, is one of the most rewarding things in life.  

I’ve done it twice now.

I helped grow my dad’s liquor store and started an agency with my brother. Seeing those two companies take off has been tremendous.

As companies grow, many things start happening. When building and maintaining a strong company culture, it can be difficult to know where to focus your energies and your time.

For me however, there are two major things I did to facilitate business growth that I would advise everyone do.

#1. Acknowledge the Importance of Corporate Culture 

The first method of maintaining business growth has to do with company culture, and the inevitable shifts it makes. And of course you want to maintain your corporate culture if it’s good; you want to keep that sense of family and respect that came with being smaller. A natural response to that might be to try and instill the love you have for your company in everyone who works there.

But let me tell you this: as the founder of the company, if you think anyone is going to love it as much as you do, you are out of your mind.

You own the business. How can you expect them to love it as much as you do?

Here’s what you do instead.

Get over the fact that the employees will never love it as much as you. If you’re lucky, there will be people who love it half as much as you. Even if someone loves a fraction as much as you do, you’ve won.

#2. Understand Cashing In Hurts Long Term Business Growth

This second method of maintaining business growth is quite simple: don’t try and cash in too quickly. It can be very alluring to start getting yourself nicer things. A nicer lifestyle. But the way to scale and grow is to have the dollars. I run my businesses early on at no profit. Some people say “Easy for you now, you’re rich.” But that’s bullshit. I was twenty-eight years old, running an enormous business, making $40,000 a year. But it let me build a $60 million business. That’s eating your own dog food.

There are so many different directions a company can take. But if you focus on remembering the two ideas above, good things can happen.

Watch me discuss more handling business growth in the video below:

Here are some more tips I have on scaling business growth:

Why You Shouldn’t Take VC Money

The Number One Question to Ask During Periods of Growth

The Difference Between a Company Issue and a Human Issue