To Grow or Not To Grow? Is That Really the Question?

Just because your business can grow doesn't mean every kind of growth is right for you.

I was listening to Guy Raz's How I Built This podcast recently, specifically an Advice Line episode featuring Tope Awotona, founder of Calendly. Two women called in with very different business challenges, but I kept coming back to the same questions as I listened.

What do you want to build, and why does it matter to you? Does the business you're building reflect your values, purpose, and what you want for your life?

Both women had businesses showing real evidence of success, along with opportunities for further growth. Both were thinking about growth, but their circumstances raised questions that couldn't be answered by looking at sales alone.

WHEN YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS YOU FOR EVERYTHING

The first caller, Ivana Tay, founded Playfield, a company selling thoughtfully designed products for pet owners. She had built the business largely on her own and was expecting her first child in about a month.

She had already started outsourcing parts of the business, including fulfillment, social media, and support for her ambassador program. But much of the daily operation still depended on her. She was handling customer service, coordinating with manufacturers, managing logistics, and developing products.

She even mentioned that she was planning to bring her laptop to the hospital when she delivered her baby.

As a mom and business owner, that caught my attention.

I understand wanting to keep a business moving, especially when you've invested so much of yourself into building it. And I understand how difficult it can be to trust someone else with something you've spent years developing.

But I wondered whether Ivana's biggest challenge was finding additional help or becoming comfortable allowing someone else to take responsibility for parts of the business.

She had already outsourced several functions, yet she was still planning to bring her laptop to the hospital. It sounded as though she might be having difficulty separating what genuinely required her involvement from what she was accustomed to handling herself.

Guy and Tope encouraged her to focus on keeping the business operating, recognize that she might need to slow down temporarily, and find operational support. They also spoke about their experiences as fathers and how meaningful parenthood has been in their lives. Their perspectives were a reminder that this wasn't simply a business transition. Ivana was preparing for a major change in her personal life, too.

I wasn't an entrepreneur when my children were born, and I'm glad I was able to take maternity leave with my first son. By the end of those 12 weeks, I was eager to return to work. I valued that time with my baby, but I also valued my professional life. Both mattered to me, and still do.

I would add another consideration for Ivana: a fractional COO or experienced operations professional.

Not every small business needs a full-time operations executive, and not every business can afford one. But someone who understands how to establish processes, organize responsibilities, coordinate vendors, and create accountability could help an owner build a business that functions without requiring their attention for every decision.

Of course, bringing in support is only part of the equation. The owner also has to be comfortable allowing other people to take responsibility and make decisions.

And in Ivana's case, I kept thinking about what she wanted this next chapter of her life to look like. Her business might continue growing, but would she have the freedom to be present for the experience of becoming a mother?

Anyone who's cared for a newborn knows how demanding those early months can be. Interrupted sleep, exhaustion, and constantly changing routines can affect your ability to concentrate, make decisions, and work as productively as you're accustomed to.

Ivana may want to continue working during those first months with her baby, and that's entirely her choice. But there's a difference between choosing to stay involved and feeling that you have to because your business can't operate without you. 

WHEN CUSTOMERS WANT MORE THAN YOU CAN PROVIDE

The second caller, Danni Sarcella, founded The Nail Room in South Carolina. The salon specializes in a builder-gel approach intended to support healthier natural nails and create a different experience from traditional nail services.

The business had opened only four months earlier, but Danni was already reporting approximately $100,000 in gross sales, profitability, and demand beyond her team's available appointments.

That's the kind of response most new business owners hope for.

She also had ambitions for a larger business. Inspired by Allie Webb's Drybar, she could imagine multiple locations offering a distinctive nail salon experience.

But she was asking something beyond how to open another location.

With three young children and a marriage she valued, she wanted to understand how to decide whether that kind of expansion was right for her and her family.

I appreciated that she was asking the question while the business was doing well, rather than waiting until expansion had already created more demands on her time and finances.

Guy and Tope encouraged her to focus on making the first salon as successful as possible before moving into additional locations. They also talked about how the customer experience, not simply the nail technique, could become an important part of what differentiated The Nail Room.

I agree with that direction. And I'd take the conversation one step further.

Before deciding whether to expand, I'd want Danni to spend some time clarifying what she wants The Nail Room to stand for, the impact she wants it to have, and the kind of business she wants to lead.

What is the business's Purpose-Driven Mission? Beyond providing nail services, what problem is she solving, for whom, and what value does she want to create?

What Core Values matter most to her? How should those values influence how customers are treated, the culture of the salon, the way employees work together, and the decisions made as the business grows?

And what is her Vision? What positive change does she hope to create for the people and community her business serves?

Perhaps she envisions a place where people can enjoy nail care that helps them feel confident and beautiful without compromising their health. Or maybe she wants to create an environment where customers feel cared for while employees have a supportive, rewarding place to build their careers.

There are many possibilities, and I wouldn't presume to define that Vision for her. It's something I'd want to explore with Danni, based on what she believes matters and the impact she wants her business to have.

A Vision isn't simply a target for revenue, the number of locations, or becoming the largest business in a category. It's an expression of the future the business is working to help create.

Danni could pursue that Vision through one exceptional salon, several locations, or a much larger brand. The Vision helps establish what she's working toward. The business strategy determines how she pursues it.

And alongside those business decisions, she needs to consider what she wants her role and personal life to look like.

There's no universally correct answer, and her answers may evolve as the business and her life change.

But without that clarity, it becomes harder to evaluate opportunities because there's no established direction against which to measure them.

A second location might be an exciting opportunity, but would it advance the impact she wants to create? Would expanding the existing salon accomplish that more effectively? Or might the greatest value come from strengthening the business she's already created?

Those are strategic questions worth answering before making major operational or financial commitments.

BEFORE EXPANDING, UNDERSTAND WHAT NEEDS TO BE REPEATED

It's exciting when demand exceeds capacity. But before investing in another location, additional employees, or a larger operation, I'd want to understand what's contributing to the success of the existing business.

What makes customers choose it over other options? What are they experiencing that makes them return and recommend it? Which parts of that experience depend on the owner, and which are already consistently delivered by the team?

Those answers help identify what needs to be preserved as the business grows.

Core Values, a Purpose-Driven Mission, and Vision help establish what matters, the value the business is committed to creating, and the impact it's working toward. A clear understanding of the ideal customer and the business's differentiation helps guide positioning, services, and future opportunities.

Then come the operational considerations.

Are the processes documented and working? Can new employees be trained to deliver the same quality and customer experience? Does the manager have the authority to make decisions? Does the business know which services are profitable, what capacity it can realistically support, and what additional growth would cost?

Culture matters here, too. A company can maintain consistent branding across locations while delivering completely different experiences if its people don't understand the expectations, values, and decisions behind the business.

These are all things worth addressing before multiplying the complexity of the operation.

I'd also consider the financial alternatives before assuming that another location is the best investment. Expanding the existing location, changing service capacity, improving utilization, or raising prices where the value supports it may produce better results with less risk.

That doesn't mean a second location is the wrong decision. It means it should be an intentional one.

GROWTH SHOULD SERVE THE BUSINESS AND THE OWNER

I think we're accustomed to celebrating entrepreneurs who keep expanding. More locations, more employees, more revenue, and larger markets are often treated as the natural measures of success.

There's nothing wrong with wanting those things. Building a national brand can be a wonderful ambition.

But what if someone wants a profitable business with one location, a team they enjoy working with, enough income to support their family, and time to be present for the people they love?

Is that any less successful?

I don't think so.

The challenge is that owners don't always give themselves time to define success before growth opportunities start presenting themselves.

Ivana and Danni were at different stages, facing different decisions. One was preparing for a major personal transition while trying to reduce the business's dependence on her. The other was considering how to respond to extraordinary early demand while protecting the life she wanted outside her business.

Both situations point to something I believe is essential for small business owners.

The strategic foundation of a business needs to reflect not only what it does today, but also its purpose, values, intended impact, and what the owner wants it to become.

That foundation should help guide decisions about hiring, leadership, culture, operations, customers, positioning, and growth. It should also make it easier to recognize when an opportunity supports the business's direction, and when it might take the owner somewhere they never intended to go.

At Work On Your Business, I help established small business owners clarify what they're building, what matters most, and what they want their business to make possible. Together, we establish the strategic foundation they need to evaluate opportunities, set priorities, and make decisions about growth with greater clarity and confidence.

Deciding how to grow becomes much more meaningful once you've decided what you're working toward.

FIVE QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE GROWING YOUR BUSINESS