Many businesses judge their “success” on how fast they manage to scale up. However, I disagree. Scaling up is not the litmus test for a successful business and it wasn’t what I wanted for my business. Here are the top five reasons why not scaling up was the best decision I’ve made.
1. Clients are a big fish in a small pond
Being a boutique-sized agency, we have a limit to how many clients we can take on. This means that clients are not a numbers game to us. We are clear how many clients we can handle without compromising on results and clients the attention they deserve, which always generates the best results.
2. A small team is like a family
The WordStorm PR team has always felt like a family. Over 16 years of hiring, we’ve had WordStormers come and go however the culture of our business has remained the same. Lifelong friendships are made at WordStorm PR. We may not have an open bar, daily catered lunches and ping pong tables but we have a supportive and collaborative culture which is more important than any of the bells and whistles.
3. We get to choose clients
As there is a limit to the number of clients we can work with. we have the luxury of choosing clients that are the right fit for us as an agency and a team. We only take on clients whose values match ours and who we are 1000 per cent confident we’ll do a great job for. We are passionate about working with entrepreneurial, driven businesses and not-for-profit organisations, that’s what motivates us.
4. Larger teams cost more money and can eat away at profits
My husband and I run the business together and we decided that the profits that can be made from our current business model suit us just fine. Often when businesses scale up, expenses increase exponentially and the owners end up with far more stress and less profit at the end of the day.
5. Work life balance
Running WordStorm PR has always been manageable and I’ve been able to juggle the business and my family life. Keeping WordStorm PR this size meant that my team and I would be able to work effectively during the day, but still enjoy leaving the office on time each night. A happy team results in happy clients and freedom for you as a business owner.
Monica Rosenfeld, Founder and Managing Director, Wordstorm PR
