{"id":2505,"date":"2022-08-09T20:59:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-04T20:59:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=2505"},"modified":"2023-10-27T16:14:12","modified_gmt":"2023-10-27T16:14:12","slug":"business-scalability-sme-people-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/business-scalability-sme-people-technology\/","title":{"rendered":"Business Scalability for SMEs: People & Tech"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Business Scalability for SMEs Through People and Technology<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) should focus on scalability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Business scalability involves being able to grow your business sustainably. This is sometimes referred to as \u2018meaningful growth\u2019. If a small business isn\u2019t built for scalability, it will always remain small \u2014 or struggle when demand increases. Small business growth is only possible if you have the infrastructure to cope with expansion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scalability can make the difference between success and failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Salesforce World Tour London, we spoke to GoHenry\u2019s<\/a> co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, Louise Hill, about scalability and the importance of focusing on people while investing in tech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve included some of Louise\u2019s advice and insights about scalability below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How understanding patient preferences and habits could reduce backlogs<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To grow your business, you need to have a scalable mindset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your company should be able to cope with growth without sacrificing profit margins. To achieve meaningful growth, profits should go up while expenses go down. If you need lots of short-term costs (such as extra staff) to cope with an increase in business (i.e. a busy period), it\u2019s unlikely that your business is scalable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building for scalability means having the right people and processes needed to adapt and grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Louise spoke to us about how she struggled to grow a previous business she ran due to the lack of scalability. In 1998, Louise launched an e-commerce business with a colleague. They ran it for four years, reached a \u00a35 million turnover, and generated profit. But when they were ready to scale, it proved impossible. If one of the co-founders wanted to step away from the day-to-day business to find the investment they needed, the company would fall over. The pair were able to sell the business to a retail group, but it made Louise realise the importance of building from the get-go with growth in mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Louise established GoHenry, she ensured it had enough people power to do what was needed to grow. She also made sure that she had the right tools and partners to help GoHenry expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To ensure that your SME is scalable, you need to focus on your people and your technology. It\u2019s not enough to have one or the other. You need both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why SMEs Should Focus On People Whilst Investing in Tech<\/span><\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

To learn more about how efficiency-boosting tech has made this possible, watch our on-demand Salesforce World Tour London episode, \u2018Why SMEs Should Focus On People Whilst Investing in Tech\u2019, on Salesforce+.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\tWatch the Episode<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\"\"\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Why you should focus on people<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s impossible to overstate the importance of employees. Your workforce has a significant impact on your ability to scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When starting a business, owners often interview candidates themselves. But it\u2019s unsustainable to continue being involved once your company reaches a certain size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Louise had to step away from the hiring process, she wanted to ensure her team still recruited the right people. So she created the GoHenry Little Red Book that defined GoHenry\u2019s work principles. This was rolled out throughout the recruitment process and is also used at every customer touchpoint. It means staff make every hiring decision with these ways of working in mind. And once the new employees are part of GoHenry, they know how to enact these principles when dealing with customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GoHenry\u2019s people are also told not to be afraid of failure. Creativity, independence and a daring attitude are all encouraged. And this is only made possible by GoHenry\u2019s people-focused work principles and employees having the right tools to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Values create value. GoHenry shows the importance of this for scalability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Focusing on people also means that you need to keep your customers front of mind… No matter how small or big your business is, you must give your customers excellent experiences. And the right tech can help you offer this \u2014 every time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The importance of investing in tech<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While a business may start small, it should begin with a scalable mindset \u2014 and the technology that matches. The choice of technology in small businesses can determine whether they are able to expand or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Louise says, \u201cIf you want your business to go big, then build for scale from day one. And that means the technology that you choose, the partners that you partner with, and the people that you hire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The right technology can help your business to scale in various ways, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n