9 Essential Principles For Growing Your Business. Ask any entrepreneur what their biggest challenge is and they will probably say scaling and sustaining growth, but it isn’t a new problem. Sustainable growth in economics is defined as growth considering that resources are finite and that the rate of resource depletion must be slowed in order to have long-term growth.

1. MUST HAVES FOR
SMALL BUSINESS
GROWTH
by Faisal Hoque
founder of:
Ask any entrepreneur what
their biggest challenge is and
they will probably say scaling
and sustaining growth.

2. “Sustainable growth in
economics is defined as growth
considering that resources are
finite and that the rate of
resource deple8on must be
slowed in order to have long-
term growth.”
SCALING AND
SUSTAINING
GROWTH IS AMONG
THE BIGGEST
CHALLENGES ANY
BUSINESS LEADER
FACES.

3. AUTHENTIC
PURPOSE
“Every company needs to pin down
‘why we do what we do’. That’s the
company’s North Star, guiding every
aspect from recruitment to customer
management to product development
and sales. A strong purpose drives
growth and profitability. ”

5. A POWERFUL
BRAND
Some basic rules to connect, shape,
influence, and lead with your products and
brands:
• Choose your target audience
• Connect with the public
• Inspire your customers

7. PARTNERSHIP AND
COLLABORATION
“While there’s nothing wrong with
a hands-on approach, taking on
more than you can handle,
especially in areas where you lack
experience, can be damaging.”

8. CUSTOMER
RETENTION
• The average business in the U.S. loses
around 50% of its customer base every
five years.
• The likelihood of selling to an exisRng
customer is 60-70% whereas it’s just
5-20% for a new customer.

9. REPEATABLE
SALES
“It’s one thing to sign up a few customers; it’s
another thing to design and implement sales
processes that can be successfully deployed
again and again at ever greater scale.”

10. TECHNOLOGY
“64%, of the recent Bank of America (BofA)
Small Business Owner Survey respondents
said they wish they took be]er advantage of
technology innovaRons to help manage their
business. There are few barriers to entry in
an age where anyone with wireless can
cheaply and quickly access the enabling
technologies needed to execute their
business model. ”

11. REINVENTION
“If the market isn't ready and you are way ahead of
the market, then you must possess the drive and the
willingness to sacrifice in order to make that product
or service work. This requires agility, resilience, and a
willingness to fail — and to recognize that failure
quickly enough to reinvent and move forward.”

12. COMMUNITY
“A business ecosystem is an economic
community of organizaRons and individuals
that interact in countless ways. Ecosystems are
crucial to sustainable growth because they
provide the structure that surrounds and
supports the businesses within them. ”

13. FLEXIBLE, ADAPTIVE
LEADERSHIP
“Since a company’s needs change at each
stage, its leaders need to keep evolving at
the right pace. That requires introspecRon,
self-awareness, and a keen sense of strategy
—both in the short- and long-terms.”

16. Shadoka’s poraolio of offerings enables
entrepreneurship, growth, and social
impact. Our customers and partners
aspire to create sustainable value. They
are focused on repeatable and
measurable impact. We enable their
aspira9ons.
We bring together the management
frameworks, digital plaaorms, and
thought leadership for:
• EvaluaRon, execuRon, and
monitoring of programs
• Scaling sales, revenue, and
profitability
• CreaRon and management of digital
communiRes and marketplaces
AboutSHADOKA
shadoka.com
Follow us @shadokaventures

17. About Me
Founder of Shadoka and other
companies. Shadoka enables
entrepreneurship, growth, and social
impact.
Formerly of GE and other global brands.
Author of several books, including
Everything Connects – How to
Transform and Lead in the Age of
Crea?vity, Innova?on and Sustainability
(McGraw Hill, 2014) and Survive to
Thrive – 27 Prac?ces of Resilient
Entrepreneurs, Innovators, And Leaders
(MoRvaRonal Press, 2015).
Follow me @faisal_hoque.
Faisalhoque.com | shadoka.com