The level of complexity in business is accelerating. Although it’s exhilarating to be an entrepreneur, these mounting complications affect decision-making and, subsequently, business growth. Part of my work as a strategic coach, is to keep fast-paced, overwhelmed entrepreneurs moving through decisions with as much speed and decisiveness as is humanly possible.  Why? The speed at which decisions are made have a direct impact on the growth of the business.

In large part, the increasing complexity of business is due to the rate of information we’re exposed to on any given day.  Did you know information grows at a rate of 66% per year and it continues to climb?  Yikes!  There is nothing else like it.  And, its coming at us like a fire hose that is on wide-open in the form of TV, magazines, videos, DVD’s, blogs, social media….More information means more options which overwhelms the decision-making process and causes costly delays.

The solution to avoid decision making overwhelm? Make a decision – get additional facts – make a better decision – and do it within 3 days.  Decisions delayed longer than three days slows progress and growth of your business.

Entrepreneurs are continually on the hunt for small business ideas to spur business growth.  Most small business owners feel a major innovation will put their business on the fast track. The reality is, in the mad dash to innovate, entrepreneurs overlook seemingly insignificant opportunities that are certain to stimulate business growth.  Daniel Isenberg, Professor of Management Practice at Babson College, has a much more practical small business idea – minnovation! 

Isenberg describes minnovation as mixing small parts of novelty and creativity with huge helpings of flexibility scrappiness and a generous portion of hard-driving execution or, as he more succinctly defined it on the Harvard Business Review Blog, small tweaks and excellent execution. That makes such sense, doesn’t it.

Although fanciful dreams of spearheading the next big innovation the likes of Marc Zuckerberg of Facebook, Larry Page of Google, or the late Steve Jobs of Apple linger in the mind of many entrepreneurs, the likelihood of innovation of that magnitude is questionable.  Implementing the principle of minnovation, however, can stimulate a significant growth spurt in your business.

As a strategic coach, I experience the phenomenon of minnovation in action every day. It’s not the major overhaul or substantial innovation that puts a business on the track to growth, it’s the small tweaks that support sustainable business growth. Whether it’s fine-tuning an existing business idea, putting a different spin on a current product or service, upgrading the business model, invigorating marketing practices – the opportunities for minnovation are endless.

Don’t overlook the growth opportunities in your business – become a “minnovator”.

At the core of every business is an entrepreneur who is investing passion, time, and resources into making sure their business succeeds.  It’s not an easy task!

Similar to the building that houses your office, your business needs a strong foundation to sustain the depth and breadth of the growth you’re seeking. Cracks in the foundation can weaken your ability to grow and expand.  With all the effort and energy you put forth into business growth, you certainly can’t afford to dilute your efforts.

Have you considered the strength of your business?  Why not take The Core Business Assessment to see how your business measures up. The Core Business Assessment helps identify the fundamental business skills and resources you need to facilitate growth. This knowledge enables you to put strategies into place that will methodically strengthen your business from the inside out to maximize resources and ultimately increase profits.

The Core Business Assessment  provides critical insight into the current state of your business and reveals which key business elements still need to be developed to ensure that the foundation of the business is strong and ready to grow.

By focusing on strengthening the core of your business, you can dramatically accelerate your business’ rate of growth and achieve your personal and professional goals.