Startup Growth

If you are a Start-up company seeking to grow, or perhaps you are still planning what exactly you do plan to do, then this version is for you. This version of the process is specific to those companies who are still defining what they are going to do, or have been in business for a few years only.

The challenges facing this type of company in the B2B space are all about finding your niche and becoming recognized in that niche, and then leveraging the credibility this gives you to grow – and keeping below the parapet if you can for as long as possible!

To do this, you must recognize the edge you have as a new player, and exploit it. Business customers of all sizes often seem to be very welcoming to new companies. This is not some fit of altruism; often, new companies are fighting to get a foothold and build a reputation, and expect to enter a market with lower prices than they would like to see long term. This in turn drags the overall market down – great for customers, not good for you.

Whatever you do, whatever you think, with the exceptions of pure raw or semi-refined commodities, the price of pretty much everything else decays over time. It’s not just the latest iPhone; it happens to everything. Discount at the beginning, and you can never make it back; this is more than a sales issue, it is a strategic one.

You also need to understand, and be prepared for, the games larger competitors will play against you, the moment your head DOES go above the parapet.