Most executives don’t wake up thinking, ‘How can I keep things the same today?’ They wake up thinking about growth.
Growth energizes. It excites teams. It attracts investors. It signals momentum.
And yet, growth is elusive.
Over the past decade, only 1 in 8 companies have achieved more than 10% revenue growth year after year. Profitable growth – growth that adds real value, not just vanity metrics – is even rarer.
Still, the opportunity today is enormous. Technology is advancing. Innovation cycles are speeding up. The world is more connected – and more demanding – than ever. The time to act isn’t someday. It’s right now.
The three pathways to growth
If you want to grow, you need a strategy that doesn’t rely on luck. Hope isn’t a growth plan. Execution is. And it starts with knowing where to look.
1. Maximize the core
This is your foundation. Your current customers. Your flagship products. Your existing markets.
Most growth – around 80% – comes from here. But don’t confuse ‘core’ with ‘coasting.’ Maximizing the core means sharpening every tool you’ve got:
- Make your sales team a high-performance engine.
- Align marketing spend with what truly drives results.
- Take a customer-first view, relentlessly.
- Double down on what works – and stop funding what doesn’t.
- Allocate resources to the highest-growth potential areas.
It’s not about doing more. It’s about doing smarter.
2. Explore adjacencies
Where can you stretch – without breaking?
Adjacencies are the natural extensions of your business. If you make breakfast cereal, maybe you explore granola bars. If you serve one region, perhaps you expand to the next state – or country.
These are not wild bets. They’re calculated moves. And with proper risk assessment and a strong understanding of your value chain, they can unlock significant upside with manageable risk.
3. Bet on innovation
This is the bold path. The one with unknowns. It’s also where game-changing growth can happen.
New business lines. New business models. Even new ways of delivering existing value. Innovation doesn’t have to mean inventing something the worlds never seen. It might just mean doing something new to you.
Think of mobile check deposits in banking. That single feature transformed customer experience and redefined an entire service model.
Real innovation takes courage. But the payoff? It can be transformative.
Growth requires parallel plays
Many leaders want to ‘fix the core’ before they try anything new. It sounds prudent – but it’s not enough. To become a true growth outperformer, you need to act across all three pathways at once.
Study after study shows it. The companies that grow across multiple fronts are 97% more likely to outperform their peers.
Five years from now, half your revenue could come from areas you’re not even in today. But only if you start exploring them now.
A long-term mindset in a short-term world
Growth isn’t just a quarterly game. The most successful companies make bold investments – even when times are tough.
In the 2008 financial crisis and during the depths of COVID-19, the companies that kept investing – kept building – emerged exponentially stronger.
They didn’t wait for clear skies. They planted during the storm.
From aspiration to action
Growth isn’t a dream. It’s a discipline.
That means putting money behind ideas. Building the teams to lead them. Tracking progress not just annually, but weekly. Talking about growth publicly – with employees, boards, and investors. And being honest when things don’t work.
A true growth mindset shows up in how you operate, how you prioritize, and how you communicate.
Final thought: be bold, be now
The business landscape is shifting fast. Those who wait for perfect conditions will always be late.
Yes, growth is hard. But it’s also possible – right now, and at scale. If you’re willing to look in multiple directions, act with intention, and stay committed through the cycle.
Because growth isn’t a hobby. It’s your job.
You’re not alone if you’re struggling to pivot from a focus on short term performance to a growth agenda. Feel free to reach out and leverage our experience.
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