Orders were rushing in, product was piling up, and John’s wife was burning the midnight oil to keep up with the bookkeeping. Chaos was about to overwhelm their budding venture, finishing it off before it even got started.

John and Will realized that if they did not act fast, their company would grow itself out of business.

After the initial round of funding comes in and a company enters its first growth phase, business-killing chaos can come quickly.

• When a business is getting off the ground, it is usually run on an ad hoc basis, with decisions made and things done based on gut feeling as each situation arises.
• With so many moving parts, it is often unclear what needs to be set up immediately to get to the next level of growth.
• The list of to-do’s seems endless – and you are cash-hungry. How can you take care of current needs and build a foundation for the future with limited resources?

There are many pitfalls along the path to controlled, manageable growth – but they can be avoided.

• Prioritize and deploy your startup’s limited resources so you can fill orders now while laying a solid foundation for the future.
• Craft a strategy for getting more capital – and a business plan to attract it.
• Carefully systematize your finances so you know exactly where you stand financially at all times, and can leverage your numbers to get access to more funding.

A machine is designed by an engineer. It’s tested and refined until it runs smoothly and is able to handle peak loads and run reliably for its service life. You wouldn’t trust someone without experience and expertise to engineer a product. Shouldn’t the same reasoning apply to engineering your business for manageable, profitable growth?