Dando Advisors

The Level I Company: "Entrepreneurial Startup"

Part 2 in a series of 4

Below are the characteristics and warning signs of a Level I Company, the Entrepreneurial Startup. This is the first of three defined company stages as part of The Business Lifecycle.™
 

CHARACTERISTICS

• The founders are usually actively involved in running the company.
• The primary emphasis is on producing products or services and selling them.
• Management, systems and planning receive minimal emphasis.
• Communication is informal.
• Employees work long hours and are paid modest salaries.
• Management reacts more to customer needs than to employee needs.
• The founders are either technically oriented or market builders and are usually not skilled managers.
• The company culture – the non-negotiable values and how to treat customers and each other – is generally understood and does not require a lot of reinforcement.
• The growth is greater than inflation but usually slow to moderate.

As a company matures, it often experiences subtle but very troubling growing pains.  Compounding the situation, management, in its haste to maintain growth, often fixes its gaze outward on the environment and toward the future, hoping that more precise market projections and higher sales… Read More >

The Level II Company: "Rapid Growth"

Part 3 in a Series of 4

Below are the characteristics and warning signs of a Level II Company, the “Rapid Growth” stage. This is the second of three defined company stages as part of The Business Lifecycle™.
 
 
 
 
 
 
CHARACTERISTICS

• A capable leader is at the company helm (Level I growing pain resolved).
• The business often has multiple locations, such as: 
  • Sales offices
  • Branch offices
  • Warehouses
  • Etc
• More detailed attention is given to certain areas (in addition to producing products or services and selling them), such as:
  • Marketing and sales
  • Inventory management
  • Personnel
  • Accounting, budgeting and finance
  • Systems support
• Employee jobs are more specialized.
• The company becomes more impersonal due to having more employees.
• The growth rate is faster than Level I; sometimes accelerating at a very fast rate.
• The company culture – non-negotiable values and ways of treating the customer and each other – start to need to be communicated and reinforced in words and actions that match.

Usually one or more problems block a successful company’s transition to a higher… Read More >

Welcome to The Warning Signs of Success™

My hope is this blog will become a must-read guide for you and other business leaders at all levels, from the boardroom to the mailroom.  It is a distillation of more than 20 years of my hands-on experience.

Why you should read The Warning Signs of Success™ : I will help you normalize and predict the journey to creating a scalable business by indentifying the preventable bad habits that eventually lead to “business train wrecks.”

• You will understand why it is critical that you AND your team know exactly where you and your business are on The Business Lifecycle™.
• You will learn what the difference is between building a business that can scale and growing a business by trial and error, or “see and solve.”  Better yet, you will learn how to build your business and your team so they can reach their full potential.
• You will learn how to predict the problems (The Top 12 Warning Signs of Success™ ) before they show up in the results and normalize your journey to scalability.
• You will gain uncommon insight from real-world stories and case studies of others who have faced the

… Read More >

The Level III Company: "Market Leader"

Part 4 in a Series of 4

Below are the characteristics and warning signs of a Level III Company, a Market Leader. This is the third of three defined company stages as part of The Business Lifecycle™.

 CHARACTERISTICS:

• Aligned executive and middle management teams are in place and are staffed with qualified people and accountability is clear and well-managed. (Level II crisis is resolved).
• The company’s business niche is clearly defined and its products and services fit the niche.
• The company has an identify beyond the founder(s)’ and current leader’s (CEO).
• The company has well-defined and communicated short-term and intermediate term strategies and plans, which are being followed.
• Managers (executive and middle) are doing more managing (working ‘on’ the business) than technical work (working ‘in’ the business). They are focused on developing systems, accountability and people that will allow the business to scale.
• Unproductive/unprofitable products and services are phased out.
• Market research, development and planning is timely and competent in regard to:
• • Products
  • Services
  • Customer base
  • Geographic coverage
  • Competition
• Competent staff, management and leadership development processes are in place:

… Read More >