There comes a time in every growing business when the efforts and talents of the few trusted people who have got it to this stage are no longer enough to sustain the rate of expansion that the business is capable of. Congratulations, your business has now achieved the sometimes celebrated, sometimes feared threshold where its turnover can soar, and your dreams of corporate success can be achieved … if only you can release your grip on the helm!

Depending on your sector, there´s no reason why a sole trader cannot build an established business with a turnover of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of pounds and a growing business partnership, or one with a number of core figures driving the company forward, can achieve these heights even sooner. Of course the goal going into such a venture would more often than not have been to build a successful company; one that would do things just that little bit differently; one that would make its mark on the world; and one that would expand without restriction to accommodate demand. The reality of any growing business, though, is that you become so used to doing everything yourselves that sometimes it´s hard to let go, even if it is for the good of the company.

It should also be pointed out before we go any further that this growing business scenario is not limited to ventures with small teams in control because even larger organisations will find that, with time, more and more of the tasks that are performed by a small number of people will need to be shared or subdivided among many more to cope with the additional demand

So how do you cope when the demands of a growing business outstrip your capacity to satisfy them?

1. Technology

Just as the plough replaced the rake and the car took over from the horse and cart, the computer has enabled businesses to multiply productivity. Now every staff member with a desk and a power socket can do the work of several in a fraction of the time. But let´s assume that you set your growing business up after the PC revolution. These days it´s more a case of faster processors, speedier broadband, better networking, more sophisticated mobile devices, remote access and having the right software. This is all to ensure that you and your staff can work more efficiently and more knowledgeably, and never miss an opportunity to approach, impress, win or expand your relationship with a client.

The technological demands on any growing business can be extreme but, as this article is all about working smarter, it would be remiss of us to not mention the importance of having the right technology behind you to maximise your company´s potential.

2. Streamline

Any growing business coping with increased demand will need to take a long hard look at the way it does, well, everything, and see where there´s room to change things, to streamline processes and procedures to improve productivity. The aim is either to resist the need to call in extra resources by enabling the same number of people to do more work, or to plan for continued success by employing those extra resources and enabling them to handle even more demand when it comes.

Streamlining could mean computerisation, improved technologies, planning where there previously was none, or a detailed review of current procedures to establish where duplications or inefficiencies lie.

More often than not a growing business will already be stretched to its limit by the point that it considers streamlining a necessity, which is why the fresh eyes of an external consultancy will often be the most efficient and effective route to discovering where improvements can be made.

3. Outsource

By outsourcing we´re referring to the support and expertise you can buy in, which can help take some of the strain without you having to commit to the long-term responsibilities of employing someone.

Accountants, web developers, project managers, IT staff, management consultants and many more can all be used on an as-and-when needed basis to save you time and effort, to release you from mundane or time-consuming roles so you can concentrate on steering your company into more profitable waters, to offer you expertise that you do not have yourself or in-house, or to act in an advisory capacity to strategise for the future of your growing business.

The beauty of outsourcing is the fact that you can increase or reduce your support base as your business needs it. However, you do not get the exclusivity, personal investment and control that you would from an employee, which is why most companies eventually go down this route.

4. Recruitment

This is the scary one for many business owners. First there´s the financial and legal responsibility involved, then there´s the masses of paperwork and the more intimate relationship you´ll have with HMRC; but most of the time the rewards outweigh these minor additions to your administration workload.

Any growing business has to understand the finer points of recruiting the right person but even before this it´s important to understand what the role is going to be. A growing business will be creating new roles all the time, where tasks that were previously done by one person are being split between many, and where company owners will have to relinquish some of their control.

The key is in systemising the processes that your business carries out. Every task must be documented and a step-by-step guide produced that anyone with the skills to take on the role can understand. These guides will become the foundation of your job specifications, and the training manual from which new employees will learn your way of doing things. Therefore there are few things more important to the future of your growing business than the clear systemising of the roles within your company.

Budget, preference and direction are all factors that will help you to decide which of the above summarised solutions is most appropriate for your growing business; but one thing´s for sure, whichever you select, 2011 is certainly going to be an interesting year for your company.