Recent research conducted by The Scale Up Institute and cited in The Federation of Small Business policy paper states that: ”The UK has become a fantastic place to start a business but we are not so good at enabling those businesses to grow and scale.” (Irene Graham CEO Scale-Up Institute). She identified access to finance as one of the major issues presenting an obstacle to growth for small businesses. As the business grows the entrepreneur needs to change and adapt. The more rapid the growth, the more difficult this is.
It is not just that the role of the founder and the qualities and skills needed to manage the business successfully change,it is also that the application of the functional disciplines of marketing, accounting and people management change. The entrepreneur needs to transform into a leader and a manager. As the business grows, systems, procedures and additional personnel need to be into put place. And all of these changes need to be properly managed if the business is to grow successfully and because of these challenges, it is little wonder so few businesses grow to any size.