The difference between a small business or startup and a successful and profitable company typically boils down to time and experience. But, there are certain factors that play a big part in how those companies grew to be successful — things like timing, having the right people, focus, and intensely hard work.

Remember that every major company was a startup at some point. Every Fortune 500 firm started as an idea that had to be built and guided by an entrepreneur and team of pioneers.

Even though statistics, researchers, and the media tell you that the odds are stacked against you and the probability of failing is high, there are plenty of opportunities to succeed. One of the best ways to steel yourself against the hard times and tough decisions is to look at successful entrepreneurs and CEOs who have already blazed those trails.

They’ve learned the hard lessons and are willing to share knowledge that you can apply to fuel sustainable growth. Here are some insights from a few of them who learned how to overcome the odds and successfully scale their businesses.

Keep Processes as Simple as Possible

For Five Acre Farms CEO, Dan Horn (4th from left), simplicity is the best way to grow and keep customers happy.

Successful business leaders are often so because they learn how to be good at simplifying things. They take the complex and make it less complex. This philosophy and approach to business is used in everything from product launches to developing workflows.

Part of the success of Apple under the watch of Steve Jobs was born from his ability to remove things that were overly complicated. He was notorious for canceling projects he viewed as extraneous.

Complexity sucks time. It requires more meetings, more explanation, more refined communication with the customer, more people in the workflow, and more cogs in the machine. Complexity slows businesses down and inhibits growth.

“As businesses grow and scale, the key dynamic that slows progress and, at the extreme, impairs a business, is the creeping effect of complexity,” says Arnab Mishra, President and COO of Transera. “Complexity rears its head as products evolve, organizations grow, and business strategies change. CEOs of growing companies need to be aware of the impacts of growing complexity, and take actions to continuously simplify the operations and strategy of the organization.”

“CEOs that are most effective in reducing complexity tend to have a clear and well-communicated vision of the business’ goals, an ability to lead employees towards that vision, and a willingness to change course when it becomes clear that certain strategies are not providing the required results.”

Keeping your processes simple makes it easy to stay engaged with the people who are the greatest component of your growth and success — your customers.

"Simplicity is really important," says Dan Horan, CEO of Five Acre Farms. "It's got to be simple, and sometimes to make something simple you have to really, really study everything about it. It might turn out to be complex, but you have to present it simply, particularly when it comes to people: when people buy something, they don't want a lecture."

2. Focus on Delighting Your Customers

Five Guys CEO Jerry Murrell says their customers are their best salespeople.

While customer acquisition is important in any business, you need to focus on the customers you have. Customer perceptions can make or break a business. If you deliver quality experiences, products, and service, and you make every effort to delight your customers, then they’ll sing your praises.

In a study from Nielsen on advertising, media, and peer recommendations, it was discovered that 92% of consumers around the world trust earned media, such as personal recommendations and consumer opinions from friends and family, above all other forms of advertising.

When you delight your customers, and they share that delight, your business will grow. That’s the mindset of Five Guys and they’ve held that position since their launch in 1986.

"We figure our best salesman is our customer,” says Jerry Murrell, CEO of Five Guys. “Treat that person right, he'll walk out the door and sell for you. From the beginning, I wanted people to know that we put all our money into the food. That's why the decor is so simple – red and white tiles. We don't spend our money on decor. Or on guys in chicken suits. But we'll go overboard on food."

Delighting your customers doesn’t have to be a time-intensive operation and you don’t have to completely restructure your business model. You just need to operate in a way that anticipates their needs and stays with them beyond the point where they make that first purchase.

Ritz Carlton is famous for its world-class customer service at its resorts and hotels.

Even the simple act of empowering employees to be proactive and delight customers can go a long way.

Carmine Gallo, a communications coach for some of the most well-known brands in the world, shared a story about the level of customer care at Ritz Carlton resorts and hotels:

“Ritz-Carlton employees are trained to anticipate the unexpressed wishes of their guests. During one stay the receptionist called me and said, ‘We see that you are scheduled to leave very early tomorrow. Can we leave a pot of fresh, hot coffee outside your door?’”

source:here