Reasons the company's original ambition was no growth or slow growth (respondents were allowed to choose three):
- 54% Founder lacked capital
- 18% Founder lacked business know-how
- 44% Founder had a desire to keep control
- 20% Founder underestimated market demand
- 20% Founder faced uncertain economic climate at the time
- 6% Founder didn't intend to work as hard as growing fast entails
- 10% Company's product or service was too new
- 32% Founder felt fear or caution
- 23% Founder just didn't consider "growth" a relevant concept
- 17% Other
The perception of the company as a "fast grower" by outsiders came as a surprise:
The company's earliest spreadsheet projections were--
- 41% Understated
- 22% Accurate
- 11% Overstated
- 26% Nonexistent
From its inception, the company's fastest growth took place--
- 21% Right out of the gate
- 37% Within two to four years
- 35% After five or more years
- 7% At the same rate throughout
When fast growth struck, the company was--
- 13% Caught unprepared
- 67% Starting to gear up
- 21% Fully prepared
In response to the fast-growth stage, the company's first need was for--
- 27% More money
- 33% More employees
- 7% More space
- 10% Experienced management
- 21% Better operating structure and internal procedures
- 3% Sound advice
The most difficult aspect of growing fast enough to reach the Inc. 500 was--
- 47% Learning to administrate
- 28% Giving up control
- 21% Being responsible for people
- 4% Other
The company turned out as I envisioned it:
- 48% Yes
- 52% Not even close
From its founding to today, the company's culture has--
- 16% Changed radically
- 72% Changed a bit
- 12% Not changed at all
As a result of faster growth than I expected, my personal life has--
- 18% Improved within my family
- 35% Improved materially
- 52% Become more complicated
- 2% Turned for the worse
- 11% Not been affected
My intention for starting the company was to--
- 17% Make a lot of money
- 40% Be my own boss
- 12% Leave a job or recover from being terminated from a job
- 23% Prove to myself I could do it
- 5% Change the world for the better
- 4% Other
*Some categories total more than 100% because of multiple responses or rounding.
Robert A. Mamis is a senior writer at Inc.
Resources:
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HCI TECHNOLOGIES, Rodney Martin, 11419 Sunset Hills Rd., Suite 300, Reston, VA 20190-5207; 703-736-3000
SHARE GROUP, Michael Ansara, 58 Day St., Somerville, MA 02144; 617-629-4555
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TRIUMPH TECHNOLOGIES, Steven Munroe, 3 New England Executive Park, Burlington, MA 01803; 617-273-0073
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RADIO SPIRITS, Carl Amari, 1609 Barclay Blvd., Buffalo Grove, IL 60089; 847-465-8245
