What are the 5 stages of small business development?
The 5 stages of small business development often mirror growth stages: idea, startup, growth, expansion, and maturity. This framing is especially useful for founders planning how their role and organization must evolve.
The 5 stages:
Idea: Clarifying the problem, solution, and target customer.
Startup: Launching the offering and validating demand.
Growth: Building repeatable sales and delivery processes.
Expansion: Entering new markets, adding products, or scaling channels.
Maturity: Optimizing operations, strengthening culture, and guarding against complacency.
For founders:
Each stage requires different strengths - individual heroics in early stages, then building teams and systems later.
Being explicit about the stage helps set realistic goals and avoid premature complexity.
Kindred Consulting Group:
Supports businesses as they transition from founder-centric operations to designed organizations that can scale beyond the founder.
The Kindred Clarity Framework helps define which stage you are in and what structure is needed for the next stage.
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