Tips for Startup CEOs and Small Business Owners
Growing a business is exhilarating, but it can also be tricky. When your small company starts to grow, you need new tools, better systems, and a clear plan. Growth requires strategy, systems, and a deep understanding of what needs to evolve within your business as you scale. Based on my experience helping businesses grow, here are five simple tips to help you scale successfully.
1. Build Systems for Scalability
Early-stage businesses often rely on scrappy, manual processes to get things done. While this works in the startup phase, it becomes unsustainable during scale-up. Automating processes and building systems early saves time and money down the line.
Example: At Citi, I led the automation of content workflows for wealth technology, uncovering a $4.5MM annual cost savings while increasing delivery speed. For startups, this means automating customer onboarding, marketing campaigns, and internal reporting with tools that grow with you.
Key Takeaway: Invest in scalable technologies that enable your team to focus on strategic initiatives rather than repetitive tasks.
2. Focus on Your Customers
Successful scale-ups align their growth strategy with customer needs. Understanding what drives engagement, loyalty, and adoption is critical for building sustainable momentum.
Example: At Citi Mobile, we introduced 1-click paperless enrollment, solving a customer pain point. The results? Over 600K enrollments and $2.1MM in cost savings within six months. Similarly, startups can grow by identifying and solving friction points in the customer journey.
Key Takeaway: Listen to your customers, use their insights to prioritize improvements, and measure how these initiatives impact engagement and revenue.
3. Use Data to Drive Decisions
Data is like a map—it helps you see where you’re doing well and where you can improve. Simple tools can help track sales, website visitors, or customer feedback.
Example: While launching digital marketing campaigns at Citi, we measured ROI across multiple touchpoints, contributing to $234MM in deposit growth.
Small businesses can leverage affordable analytics tools to measure campaign success, customer acquisition costs, and lifetime value.
Key Takeaway: Invest in analytics early and make data central to decision-making across teams.
4. Take Small Steps to Big Goals
Scaling doesn’t always mean large, high-risk initiatives. Small, incremental improvements can deliver significant impact over time while testing your strategy’s scalability.
Example: I managed multiple growth-focused projects, from launching Citi Mobile app campaigns to improving retention through UX optimizations. Each initiative drove measurable results, such as a 100% year-over-year increase in retention metrics.
Key Takeaway: Break down your growth goals into smaller milestones. Test, iterate, and scale what works.
5. Invest in Your Team
As your business grows, scaling requires shifting from “generalists” to specialized talent, fostering a culture of continuous learning, and empowering leaders at every level.
Example: At Kaplan, I mentored teams to adopt agile methodologies, improving internal performance and driving $100MM in annual sales. Startups can achieve similar results by upskilling teams and embedding leadership principles into the company culture.
Key Takeaway: Invest in your people. A high-performing, aligned team can manage the complexity that comes with scale.
Final Thoughts: Scaling with Intent
Scaling is more than a numbers game—it requires strategic leadership, deep customer understanding, and scalable systems.
Empowering middle management with aligned vision and accountability, supported by automation tools, data-driven decisions, and team development, creates a strong foundation for sustainable growth.
What’s your next milestone? Start small, stay focused, and scale with intent.
