Scaling starts with planning! Knowing what you think your business looks like is not really what your business is! I run into many owners/founders who say they want to scale when they really don't know or understand the complexity of the meaning of 'scaling' or the cost. It isn't just having a product or service you think everyone want or demands, it is about duplicating a process to produce a quality product on time at a profit. I hear 'I want to scale to have more revenue'. You may get more revenue from customers you don't want at the price you don't want, just to get enough momentum running through your company to establish a good process. Hmmm, you end up with no profit at the end.

So what gets in the way of scaling?

1. Deciding what are you going to STOP doing - you need momentum to provide energy to scale. You can't do everything, what is your laser focus on what you're going to scale. Remove all distractions.
2. Hiring the wrong people - we grow out of friends and family. Don't...

You may be familiar with Gallup’s international bestseller, “Strengthfinder 2.0,” which has been helping professionals not only identify their strengths in the workplace but also how to further develop them. Not surprising, Gallup scientists have also been studying leadership and how a strengths approach to management can fuel the success of businesses.

The data shows that organizations that work from the strength of their people are more profitable, productive, and have a higher level of employee engagement.  A company is a living, breathing organism - it has a personality all its own which is made up of the people inside the company.  This gives you your competitive advantage - or holds you back and gets in the way of growth.

How might you approach growing your small business with a strengths-based approach?

Here are five simple, practical tips from Gallup to get you started:

• Take the assessment to learn your own strengths,  (i.e., the themes that...