The 10 Baby Steps That Unlock Business Growth

Most entrepreneurs have had those moments (if not longer periods of time) when they wanted the easy button for unlocking their business’s growth. This desire usually stems from reaching a revenue plateau where they feel stuck, from decreased revenue due to the dynamic economy, or because a business owner doesn’t know what they don’t know about running a profitable business.

I wish I could say, “There IS an easy button, and here it is!” But I can’t. It’s a myth. Believing this myth for too long will prolong the pain of poor profits and may put the business out of business, leaving the owner deeply in debt if not bankrupt.

Growing a business takes work. Steady work.

The right efforts will create predictable profitability and long-term sustainability, which can result in time freedom. This is what most business owners truly want.

Steady work means taking the best next small step you can take to continue moving your business in the right direction.

It doesn’t mean getting overloaded or overwhelmed. And it certainly doesn’t mean calling yourself lazy if you don’t get everything done you want to get done when you want it done.

When I started my entrepreneurial journey, I desperately wished for and spent tens of thousands of dollars trying to buy the easy button in the form of cookie-cutter solutions and courses from self-proclaimed experts.

I was busy all the time, but none of it produced the success I wanted. Instead of being thankful for what I learned, I blamed myself. I even started calling myself a failure.

Big swings don’t work at every stage for every business.

There’s a lot of commotion about unlocking business growth online right now. Most of it is centered around taking big swings. I’ve read some great books on the topic – 10X is Easier than 2X and The Science of Scaling. They’re full of wonderful, inspiring ideas.

The challenge with them is that unless you have a solid runway to explore big swings, and by that I mean you’ve built a business that is already successful, it’s unlikely you have the time or resources to devote to developing and implementing the big ideas.

So, let’s get real. What makes a business grow is focusing on small, consistent shifts.

Every business owner I’ve worked with goes through the same cycle: Escape -> Expand -> Excel

This is how you finally achieve the personal freedom, impact, and balance you’ve been working toward. And it starts with escaping the chaos of struggle. You know, it’s the late nights, overwhelm, constant firefighting, and mental trash that keep you stuck.

Then, you expand your impact by building systems and focusing on opportunities that multiply results without increasing stress. This is about selecting the next right baby step to move you just a bit closer toward excelling.  

It isn’t just some theory. I’ve lived it. My clients live it. It works.

What I often hear from the business owners I work with is uncertainty about their best next step. They want to know how to get the time and money freedom they need to live the life they dreamed of when they started their business.

Here’s how to unlock business growth with 10 baby steps.

1.     Ask One Loyal Customer Why They Stayed

By taking the time to genuinely understand what keeps someone coming back for your products/services, you learn what makes you unique and valuable. This will give you clues to sustainable customer loyalty and long-term growth.

2.     Cut One Offer You Secretly Hate

If you’re pouring your time and energy into supporting a product/service that drains you (even if it makes money), you’re undermining your ability to grow. Growth requires positive energy.

If you’re siphoning yours off by delivering something that you hate, you’re suffocating momentum and building resentment toward the customers who are buying it.

3.     Raise One Price By 10% to Unlock Business Growth

Nearly every entrepreneur has trouble with pricing. They typically price based on how they feel – afraid that no one will buy if their offerings aren’t inexpensive.

The correct way to price is based on the market. It comes down to charging a price that’s fair for the value being offered. By raising just one price by 10%, you break the cycle of fear-based pricing.

And, yes, it will feel scary the first time you say a new price out loud. I know because it was frightening for me. But it also becomes easier with time.

4.     Stop Explaining What You Do

Look, no one cares about what you do. They care about the problems your business solves and the solutions you offer. Take a good, hard look at your homepage or one of your social profiles. How can you change just one sentence to talk about the problems you solve and the results you get?

This tiny change provides greater clarity, which means better leads for you.

5.     Set a Weekly 90-Minute CEO Block for Business Growth

For most small business owners, CEO means chief everything officer instead of chief executive officer. And that’s exactly why I suggest carving out time weekly to focus on the big picture, taking time to think about what’s the best next step forward, and actually working on your business instead of in it.

Ninety minutes is just a suggestion. You might decide that all you can do at this point is 30 minutes or that you need to spend 4 hours. The length of time isn’t as important as scheduling this weekly, non-negotiable time in your calendar for you to work on your business.

Are you seeing how these first 5 steps aren’t massive overhauls or big swings? They’re tiny, incredibly doable shifts that free up energy, focus, and momentum. Stack a few of them, and you’ll see the results compound fairly quickly.

6.     Email Marketing for Business Growth: Share One Genuine Insight

When’s the last time you sent an email to your list that was just valuable? No pitch. Just something you know they would benefit from receiving. When you can be truly generous with your tribe, they will recognize the value and, when the time’s right for them, they’ll reach out to you.

You invest in solving their problems, they’ll trust you and become loyal to your offerings.

What will you send out this week?

7.     Document One Process You Repeat Too Often

What’s the one process you do so often, that you could do it in your sleep? Well, maybe it’s in your nightmares because you’re sick and tired of it.

If you can put together a simple SOP (standard operating procedure) in a Google Doc, it might be something you can automate with AI or ask an assistant to do for you. And if it’s a bit more complicated than that, you could create a quick Loom video for someone on your team to take over the process.

I’ve turned over tasks to AI and assistants. It is so freeing to have time back that I used to spend doing things that someone or something else could do more quickly and sometimes much better than I could.

8.     Say “No” to One Thing That Doesn’t Drive Business Growth

We all say “Yes” to opportunities, requests, or distractions that we later wish we had said “No” to. It’s natural to want to be liked, but when it comes to unlocking business growth, focus less on being liked and more on long-term growth and profitability.

In other words, what one thing do you need to say “No” to to protect your attention and time?

After all, one strategic “No” today could free up the time, energy, and resources for 10 business-building “Yeses” tomorrow.

9.     Schedule an Exit Interview With Yourself

This is a fun exercise to shift your perspective. Ask yourself, “If I sold this business tomorrow, what would the buyer fix first?”

What’s the first thing that comes to mind? Now, go fix that.

10.  Celebrate One Win (Out Loud)

Unlocking business growth requires energy, not just strategy. Acknowledging wins builds momentum, and momentum unlocks faster business growth.

Now that you’ve seen the whole list, I’m sure you understand why I call them baby steps. They’re tiny. They might even be a little scary, but with determination, each of them moves you closer to real growth. In my work with entrepreneurs, I’ve seen small shifts like these consistently unlock growth.

Which resonated most? Which will you do first?

If you’re ready to start doing what really matters when it comes to unlocking your business’s growth and building something lasting and significant, let’s make your next baby step count. Schedule a 15-minute conversation with me to discuss your top business growth challenge.