10 Steps to Regain Control After Rapid Growth
Congratulations, your business has grown.
But if that growth feels more like chaos than celebration, you’re not alone.
Many business owners hit a point where what once worked starts to break. You’re hiring more people, juggling more tasks, and the systems you never really needed before are now painfully missing.
Hopefully this helps to bring calm to the chaos, rebuild control, and scale with confidence.
1. Own the Vision (Even If It’s Evolved)
When things feel out of control, it’s usually because decisions are being made reactively not strategically.
It’s time to revisit your business vision.
What are you building now? What’s changed?
A Real Life Example
One of my coaching clients in e-commerce doubled their revenue in 18 months, but lost clarity on what kind of business they wanted to run.
Once we refocused on a refined 3-year vision, one that included exiting operational chaos, their confidence and clarity returned.
Some Actions: Revisit your vision every 6 months. Use it to filter decisions, opportunities, and distractions.
2. Think Like a CEO, Not Just the Founder
Founders wear many hats.
But if you’re still knee-deep in customer service, approvals, and micromanaging every hire growth will eventually stall.
A Real Life Example
A tourism operator I work with was still writing tour guide scripts and managing bookings personally. We restructured roles and built a leadership layer.
She is now spending her time on partnerships and expansion and finally took a real holiday without doing the payroll!
Some Actions: Block CEO time in your calendar every week to focus on strategy, culture, and team development. You will feel better and like you have a little more control.
3. Know Your Numbers, or They’ll Control You
Too many fast-growing businesses fly blind financially. Growth without profit isn’t sustainable.
My Real Life Example
One business owner was turning over $4M but had no idea if she was making money.
Once we cleaned up her reporting and pricing, we found she was undercharging. A 10% pricing tweak doubled her profit in 90 days.
Some Actions: Know your cash flow, profit margins, customer acquisition cost, and break-even point.
4. Empower (Don’t Just Hire) Your Team
Throwing people at the problem won’t fix broken processes.
You need empowered, trained, and accountable team members. If you can't do it yourself, be prepared to get people in to do it.
My Real Life Example
A creative agency owner hired quickly during a growth spurt but kept bottlenecking decisions. Once roles and KPIs were clarified, and authority was delegated, delivery improved and so did morale.
Some Actions: Define roles, document processes, and train for autonomy.
5. Prioritise Strategic Planning (Not Just Task Lists)
Busy doesn’t equal effective. You need to step back and steer.
We are all busy, life is crazy however you need to be effective. So stop and look at what you are doing and what you can delegate. Create space to work on your business, improve your business and feel better about your business.
My Real Life Example
A consulting firm I coached set quarterly OKRs (Objectives & Key Results) for the first time.
Within three months, everyone from admin to senior consultants knew exactly what success looked like.
Some Actions: Set and review quarterly goals. Track progress monthly. Adjust, refine, and keep moving.
6. Stay Close to Your Customers, Always
Growth can distance you from the frontline. That’s dangerous.
Look at how you can stay engaged without being responsible for everything. Have some systems in place so you can see what's happening and why.
A Real Life Example
A retail owner thought customers loved their product selection, until we ran a survey and discovered their real loyalty was due to a personalised service that had quietly disappeared.
We have now brought it back and sales bounced back too.
Some Action: Regularly ask, “What’s working? What’s not? What would you like more of?”
7. Simplify and Strengthen Your Marketing
In growth mode, marketing often becomes reactive or diluted. You need consistency and clarity.
Do not stop marketing. Often business owners stop marketing because they are so busy but then 8 weeks down the road sales are non existent. Keep marketing, the busier you are the more you can charge.
A Real Life Example
A client in premium travel experiences was doing “a bit of everything” in marketing, social, brochure listings & print as well as local radio for special events.
We simplified to one clear offer and doubled down on digital. Leads went up, costs went down.
Some Actions: Clarify your core message. Pick your best channels. Be consistent.
8. Keep Growing, you’re the Linchpin
Your team, your systems, your brand, everything depends on your growth as a leader.
Do not stop learning and growing. The knowledge and skills you learn will make your life and that of your team’s easier.
A Real Life Example
A wholesale business owner joined me on a series of strategy calls to get business back on track. These calls finally gave him a safe space to think, learn, and be challenged. It sparked new energy, confidence, and innovation. He is now committed to learning and improving.
Some Action: Read, join a peer group, or work with a coach. The better you get, the better your business runs.
Become the Pivot: Strategies to be a Linchpin in Your Team
9. Decisions Should Be Data-Driven, Not Gut-Driven
Your gut got you here, but it won’t scale you.
How did we get here? Sometimes it's just hard work and determination. At some stage that is no longer enough you need information to be able to keep growing.
A Real Life Example
A service business when starting out with me guessed at their “most profitable service line.” However when we did their Business Analysis the data told a different story. Since then we have helped them restructure their offers and their profitability soared.
Some Action: Use dashboards, metrics, and regular reviews to inform decisions.
10. Protect and Strengthen Your Culture
As your team grows, culture can dilute or divide.
You need to be intentional and lead by example.
A Real Life Example
One business went from 5 to 22 staff in under a year and suddenly faced gossip, absenteeism, and resentment.
We worked with the owner to realign the team under shared values and reintroduced regular check-ins. The shift was immediate.
Some Actions: Define your values, live them, and deal with misalignment early.
How can you maintain team culture as your team grows?
My Final Thoughts on This
Growth is a gift, but it can quickly become a curse if not managed well.
If your business feels like it’s running you, it’s time to step into leadership, set direction, and build the structures that support sustainable success.
Let’s tame the chaos and bring your business back under control.
Stop Working Harder, Start Working Smarter
Need help realigning your business with growth?
Book a free 15-minute call to discuss how we can help you dig down and get your business back on track, stress free and simply.