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Business growth happens in many ways, from personal development to increasing revenue and expanding your team. Unfortunately, growth isn’t always a linear journey. All businesses experience times of peaks, valleys, and plateaus. The latter two can be quite challenging to move beyond but are often where the greatest growth happens.
To learn about ways to foster business growth, I spoke with Master Sri Akarshana, founder of I Am Creator. Here’s his advice:
Ask yourself one simple question.
To foster business growth, Akarshana recommends asking yourself one simple question – if you continue to do the same thing, will anything change? “You either stay the same or you decide that you have to open your mind,” he says. This question forces you to take a step back and evaluate where both you and your business are currently at. If you can’t see a clear path for growth, it’s time to take a new approach.
Look at things from a different perspective.
A great way to foster business growth is to challenge yourself to see things from another perspective. Ask a colleague for their input, play devil’s advocate and question all of your thoughts and assumptions, or put yourself in your customers’ shoes. Better yet, try all of these things and more. The more ways you can look at something, the more likely it is that you’ll come up with a solution and find ways to grow.
This is also a useful practice when you’ve hit a business plateau. It’s easy to get tunnel vision and not be able to see other alternatives, especially when you’ve been working at something for an extended period of time. By challenging yourself to take a new approach, you can find ways to move beyond that plateau.
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Identify where you’re stuck.
Sometimes it’s a feeling of being stuck that inhibits business growth, but it’s hard to get unstuck if you don’t know specifically what’s causing it. Do a deep dive and try to uncover the source. Once you’ve identified it, you can figure out how to overcome it and keep moving forward.
Zero in on your purpose.
The most successful companies have a solid purpose that drives the business forward. Think about who your business is serving, as well as how you’re helping and why. When you have the answer to all three questions, you’ll have found your purpose. “It can also be helpful to shift your thinking to how you can best help people instead of how you can make the most money,” advises Akarshana. This mindset helps you focus on the impact of your business rather than solely on revenue.
Focus on the present.
It can be easy to dwell on the past or get too far ahead dreaming about the future, but true progress and growth happens when you’re focused on the here and now. It’s what you do in the present that matters most. “Don’t fear the future or the unknown and don’t be upset about the past,” Akarshana advises. “A lot of opportunities will be missed if you are not present in the moment.” To keep yourself focused on the present, create short term goals so that you have something tangible and measurable to work towards.
