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6 tips to help companies scale up and grow

Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) can work on various levels to scale up their businesses, both domestically and in international markets. As SME experts, LCI’s team gathers daily insights, from monitoring over 16,000 companies, and continually identifies key areas of focus, to aid businesses to scale up.

Here are 6 tips to help companies to scale up:

Adopt the digital trends

Every company needs a strong online presence, being the first place customers research a product or service. Developing a user-friendly and attractive website helps to position your company in a positive light. Websites and social media channels can be effectively used to update clients on the latest developments and widen your audience globally through targeting. To effectively use digital mediums, ensure they are up to date and position your brand in a unified manner.

Focus on your strengths

Identify your unique selling proposition and capitalize on it. What strengths does your company have, that others do not? Focus on that in your communication efforts, both online and offline.

Costumer service translates into loyalty

Ensure your customers are well taken care of, from when they are deciding which product or service to purchase, until after transactions are made. By creating a two-way flow of communication, along with add-on services, customers will feel closer to the company and likely repeat purchases.

Identify new opportunities and markets

Whilst expanding into new markets is integral for companies to scale up faster, it comes with many challenges. Before venturing into new markets, research local competition, risks and the market appetite for your product or service. Is there strong demand for what you are offering? Are there cultural norms that you need to adapt to? Know the market well before expanding.

Standardize your processes

When scaling up a business, systems and processes that are standardized will ensure a more seamless experience internally. From financial elements, credit management, to paperwork, systems and delivery processes – develop a system that is followed across all markets, to create a unified experience.

Manage trade receivables and cashflows

Whether selling domestically or internationally, managing your trade receivables and cashflows are integral to scale up. Provisioning for upcoming expenses, whether investments in human resources, marketing or business development, if you have a clear forecast of your receivables, it can ensure a healthier cashflow.

Learn more about how LCI can help you expand to new markets and increase your exports here.

Every day, fleets of huge ships dock in ports over the world and every hour, a plane carrying cargo lands, in one country or another. With every docking and landing, a stack of paperwork will need to be processed. Whilst this practice has been the standard process adopted by governments and countries for decades, the cost of processing trade documents still remains high.

Based on figures released by the World Economic Forum, the cost of processing the paperwork for shipped goods, can reach as much as one fifth of the cost of shipping the actual goods. Many institutions, including banks and technology companies, are trying to streamline this process, as the benefits are numerous. Experts indicate that simplifying the administrative procedures can actually lead to notable growth in international trade.

Apps, technological innovation & block chain solutions are simplifying procedures of shipping goods.

In comes digitization, which is already underway in the trade sector. Apps, projects, technological innovation and even block chain solutions are simplifying the once complex administrative procedures of shipping goods. Electronic-based documentation lowers costs, simplifies workflow, and takes up less time in terms of analysis and storing. Depending on the electronic documents along with the use of standardized ID numbers for transactions, traders can benefit from a smoother process, expand to new markets and deal with new clients, with less requirements when it comes to due diligence, collecting and tracking credit, performance and commercial dispute data.

The advantages of digitizing the trade sector are clear, but will governments and private institutions move fast enough?