Caught up in the daily grind, it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture and the crucial question that is: ‘Where do we go from here?’

Identifying Growth Opportunities

Growth is important, and seeing it within your business requires stepping outside the daily routine. 

It involves taking the time to look at where you are now and consider where you want to be.

It’s about asking yourself the hard questions, and seeking the occasional independent perspective to examine your business’ hidden potential, including areas of expansion, and potential shifts in the market. 

Here are three questions that can help you unlock growth opportunities in your business, regardless of what stage your enterprise is at. 

1. What’s Working? Understanding Your Success

Sure, things seem good – customers are happy, finances are stable. But do you truly understand the key ingredients driving your success? 

Every now and then it’s important to take a good, hard look at your business via a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) exercise that helps identify what is working well.

Perhaps it’s specific products, service features, or even marketing strategies that keep customers coming back. 

This SWOT can also help you pinpoint areas for improvement, like staffing inefficiencies, overstocking, or unnecessary expenses that might be holding you back.

2. What’s likely to work in the future?

While the future can be unpredictable, having your finger on the pulse of current and potential trends, along with proven business strategies, can offer valuable insights. 

In any business, ensure you take the time to examine what’s going on around you – whether that’s the activities of your competitors, emerging technology, product innovations, or customer search and purchasing trends.

When you know where your industry is headed, it can help you identify:

• Product lines which may be ripe for expansion.
• Systems or procedures that can deliver greater efficiency for your business.
• Areas for business diversification.
• Additional markets and customer segments which solidify your position. 

This might also be an exercise where an outside perspective from a mentor or business strategist can prove invaluable. 

They can help you identify emerging trends, equip you with tools to test the market, and carve a path for natural expansion.

3. What steps should I take next?

Whether it’s raising capital, securing new suppliers, or launching a marketing campaign, getting from vision to reality requires a clear roadmap. 

Once you understand what’s working, what’s not, and what the future holds, it’s time to formulate a clear strategy to move your business forward. 

This involves setting goals which are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound (aka SMART), then creating KPIs, assigning responsibility for those tasks and measuring their progress.

These goals and activities should also be incorporated into your business plan to reflect where your business intends to go and how exactly it will get there.

It’s about long term success

Taking a big picture approach is essential for any business looking to thrive in the long run. 

By stepping back, and taking the time to examine your business’ hidden potential, you can navigate the ever-changing landscape and propel your business towards a bright future.