A company that experiences rapid growth through making the Inc 500 list will often get stuck once achieving that goal because it needs to change its mindset from a small company to a big company. While decisions that allowed for quick growth in the past may no longer be effective, a company that has grown significantly now has greater financial muscle to achieve horizons that were once unthinkable. However, if a big company continues acting like a small one, it will only see small growth. Adjusting a company's mindset is difficult and may require reevaluating priorities, methods for reaching customers, and even the types of services provided. If a company stops growing, trying the same approaches won't work - it needs change, though change is

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Tony Shap
Business Development Consultant to America's Fastest-Growing Companies

2. When a company makes the Inc 500 list it means it's
experienced a lot of growth in a relatively short period of
time. Getting onto the list takes a lot of hard work, and
making the top 500 is no small task. However, a lot of
companies find themselves stymied once they've reached
that goal. The problem isn't that the company has lost its
momentum; it's that it needs to change the mindset.

3. A company grows because it makes the right decisions to
bulk up its audience and increase its customer base.
However, the decisions that allow a smaller company to grow
quickly don't have the same results on a bigger company. If
a company has grown very rapidly it might take some time
to realize the new scope that provides. The sheer financial
muscle a major company has means that horizons once
thought unachievable are now within reach. But if a big
company keeps acting like a small one, then all it will see is
small growth.

4. It isn't easy adjusting a mindset. A growth spurt might
require that a business re-evaluates its priorities, its
methods for reaching an audience and client base, and even
the kinds of services it provides. If a company has stopped
growing, then it can't keep pushing the same buttons and
expecting different results. Change is hard though, and it
can take several tries before a business gets to where it
wants to be.

5. On the other hand though, if a business wants to reach the
next number of figures, it has to do what works. That might
mean consolidating its efforts and reaching higher, or it
might mean reaching out to build bigger contacts. The
mindset, and the drive, are the first steps to reaching for
those bigger goals, however, and everything else depends
on that vision.