Cool Companies

New research has found that, of all the factors that influence the success of an entrepreneurial company, there is only one substantial scientific predictor of entrepreneurial success: the entrepreneurial creativity of the entrepreneur driving the company. 

There is no doubt that a company and its CEO must evolve for the company to survive and grow. Are there common milestones of growth? We present a research study of high-growth Ontario companies that suggests there are. The stages of growth are marked by employee size: 10, 20, 30, 50, 100, 100+ employees. We take a look at the characteristics of each stage and the milestones the company needs to reach before they enter the next stage.

· Stage   0 to   9 employees:   One-person shows
· Stage 10 to 19 employees:   Start Delegating
· Stage 20 to 29 employees:   Operationalizing
· Stage 30 to 49 employees:   The People Crunch
· Stage 50 to 100 employees: Professionalizing
· Stage 100+ employees:       The Corporation 

The Waterloo Region in Ontario is home to innovation rockstars like RIM, and it is a hive of entrepreneurial activity. There’s something special going on there. 

Just 3 years ago, Keith Pedersen wan an electrician who dreamed of starting his own company offering commercial electrical services. He founded KBC Electric Ltd. in Calgary and has grown it into a 34-employee company with $4.7 million in revenue, and it’s profitable. Last year the company’s revenue grew 280% and Founder Keith Pedersen can contemplate 500% growth with equanimity – all because of his meticulous planning and tight management, allied with ambitious goals and the courage to take on new business. He describes the secret to his success in his own words – a revenue goal, a budget, a set of processes and systems, an operational plan and creativity. Keith says it’s a  plan any business can adopt. Alberta on the world’s nanotechnology stage.

The book is The Secret: What Great Leaders Know—and Do by Ken Blanchard (co-author of The One Minute Manger) and Mark Millar. Everything rises and falls on leadership. It’s not by chance that teams and companies are successful. Success is determined by a leader’s thoughts and actions. This book answers the question most leaders ask at some point in their career: “What do I need to do to be a great leader?” Through a straightforward business fable, this book outlines the SERVE model and teaches ways to inspire and motivate others. See the Future Engage and develop others Reinvent continuously Value results and relationships Embody the values