By Johnathan Bulmer, MD of Cleveland Containers 

Whatever your industry or product, growing a business takes time – it doesn’t happen all at once. You need to be fully committed: just putting in half the effort won’t get you anywhere fast and your work will look lazy, which will put potential customers off.

After starting our family-run business over a decade ago, Cleveland Containers are now the leading supplier of shipping containers in the UK, delivering 400 containers a week.

From our head office in Stockton-on-Tees, we operate out of more than 15 depots across the nation and, over the last year, we’ve seen record-breaking growth and product expansion.

So, should business owners keep in mind when looking to scale their business? When’s the right time to scale and what common misconceptions do people have about growing their business?

Here are my top tips on how to successfully grow your business.

When is the right time to grow your business? 

Every company is different, but they all need a good financial base to grow. A good time to expand is when you’ve identified complimentary services and products that you can offer to further help your customers. Don’t reinvent the wheel, just listen to what customers are saying and asking for and grow from there. For example, we’ve recently launched a new business division offering site accommodation units such as offices and canteens, after noticing an increase in enquiries for these products. It is important however that you don’t overexert yourself by taking on too many additional ventures. Don’t stray too far from your core products.

What can business owners do to identify areas of growth?

Don’t be led – make sure you’re a leader. We are aware of the competition, but we focus on ourselves. It is important for us to build trust with our current and potential customers, and you can see this demonstrated through our marketing. The homepage of our website displays several true figures such as running totals of how many containers we have delivered so far in the year and how many bespoke projects we have undertaken, as well as customer reviews.

What are the common mistakes that business owners make when growing their business?

1. Don’t fear change

Often you see businesses become too complacent and comfortable with their position, which is a huge mistake as it allows the competition to rise. We have witnessed this in our industry and don’t allow ourselves to get too comfortable, so we are always striving to do better and offer more – we are continually adjusting. Believing that the structure and plan you initially set out is going to work all of the time is a mistake. Don’t be frightened to sometimes go in a curve or veer off track to get where you want to go. Keep changing the way you do things as people purchase differently over time.

2. Cash (flow) is king

As customer behaviours are always evolving, we have to adapt how we sell products to the new ways they buy products. Be brave – but don’t do anything you can’t afford to do. If you don’t have it, don’t sell it. Additionally, never underestimate how much money it takes to run a business and to purchase the stock, resources and facilities you need. My advice would be to not borrow a lot of money if you don’t have to – you need a good financial base to grow, and this does take time. You’ve got to have patience. People often expect quick results and underestimate how much time it takes to get there.

3. Trust in your team

To successfully run a business, it’s important to surround yourself with strong and focused people and let them manage their teams. Sometimes business owners can be overprotective and try to get too involved in all areas, but I trust the team I have around me and give them the freedom to focus on their areas of expertise and nurture the staff in their departments. I honestly believe this enhances productivity. You bring in new staff because of the skills and experience they have to offer, so allow them to do what they are best at and listen to their new and creative ideas.