Entrepreneurship Series: Quick Growth Hacking
Startup founders have loads of huge challenges on their hands. Needless to say, growth hacking is possibly the most relevant one. A startup can be either a young company or an “actual” industry-disruptor. Regardless of the category, your business is in, you will need to grow your business.
Make your company grow and blossom
Very few founders realize that growth hacking is a constant, not a variable. In my opinion, change is the only constant for successful businesses. Here are a few pointers on how you can promote change and hack your company growth.
Tangible goals
Whenever I think of growing my business, I try to create tangible goals. Of course, I dream of running a trillion dollar company “all the time,” but I also know that it is not realistic to reach that vision in the next couple of months.
Hence I focus my attention on taking small(er) steps. For my consulting business, that means consolidating the work we do with one particular client in this quarter. And gaining one or two new customers, that match our currently biggest client.
This will help my business become less dependent on our largest client. Thus, I have created one single tangible goal: Gain one top-level new client this quarter. Nothing more, nothing less.
Go offline
Digital first companies, think digital first… well, in my opinion, they think digital only. Even-though I live a fully digital life, I know that I cannot only focus my attention on digital tools. If I want to grow, I will need to get out there and talk to people.
Whether these are potential customers or not, does not matter. However, I know that 99.9997% of the people I actually want to reach, do not read my personal blog, or visit my social media channels regularly.
Therefore I try to use as many different channels as I can. I try to get the attention of my potential customers in local newspapers, place offline ads and use flyers as a way to grab their attention. I feel that these activities are disregarded too often by digital natives.
Your personal network is gold
Want to growth hack your business: use your personal network and speak to friends and family about what you do A LOT. You know that annoying aunt you cannot stand, because she loves to pinch your cheeks? That is exactly the one you should talk to.
She will spread the word on your business faster than any social media post. Simply because you do not see her that often, and she will tell her kids about you the same story over and over again.
Yes, I know that she is not your perfect target group, but who cares? Do not tell people what you want them to hear, share your passion and your challenges openly. Your friends and family can really help your business forward. I encourage all of my teammates, to do exactly the same. I share my thoughts and tell them to share theirs, too.
In the last year alone, our consulting business has generated over 50% of its turnover from personal contacts. You should not go out there and sell your family your service on every single party, but try to get them excited about your business and what it is that you do.
Growth hacking is a real science. Sometimes you get luckydifferent things do not go as fast as you would like. But, if you use your personal skills and think out of the box, you will be successful at some point, for sure.
Have a great day, Remco
